Crew rescued in Red Sea after attack on Greek vessel near Yemen, maritime security firms say

CAIRO/ATHENS, July 6 (Reuters) - The crew of a Greek-operated bulk carrier hit by gunfire, drones and missiles in the Red Sea on Sunday were forced to abandon the vessel and were rescued by a passing ship, maritime security firms said, in an attack they said resembles that of Houthi militants.

The assault, off the southwest coast of Yemen, on the Liberian-flagged vessel Magic Seas, was the first such incident reported in the vital shipping corridor since mid-April.

The ship was first targeted by gunfire and self-propelled grenades launched from eight small boats, with armed security on the ship returning fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and British security firm Ambrey said in advisories.

Officials at maritime security company Diaplous and Ambrey, in a separate advisory, said the ship was later attacked by four Unmanned Surface Vehicles and targeted with missiles.

"Two of the USVs impacted the port side of the vessel, damaging the vessel's cargo," Ambrey added. UKMTO said the attack resulted in a fire onboard.

The boat had taken on water and its crew were forced to abandon it, maritime security sources said. The operator, Stem Shipping, confirmed the information to Reuters.

All crew were safe after being rescued by a passing merchant vessel, UKMTO said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Ambrey assessed the vessel as meeting "the established Houthi target profile".

Sunday's attack occurred 51 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, the UKMTO and Ambrey said.

Tensions in the Middle East remain high over the war in Gaza and after the 12-day Israel-Iran war and airstrikes by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites in June.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched more than 100 attacks targeting shipping from November 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war with Hamas.

During that period, the group sank two ships, seized another and killed at least four seafarers in an offensive that disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to reroute, prompting the U.S. to intensify attacks on the group this year.

In May, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen, saying that the group had agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.