HRW: Houthi Attacks on Cargo Ships Apparent War Crimes

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has declared that recent Houthi attacks that sank two commercial cargo vessels in the Red Sea are violations of the laws of war amounting to war crimes, resulting in the death and detention of crew members and posing serious long-term environmental risks to the region.

In a detailed report released on Wednesday, the international rights group stated that the Houthi armed group in Yemen attacked the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C between July 6 and 9, 2025. HRW found no evidence the ships were legitimate military targets and noted that neither vessel had any connection to Israel, despite Houthi attempts to justify the attacks as part of their hostilities which began in October 2023.

“The Houthis have sought to justify unlawful attacks by pointing to Israeli violations against Palestinians,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Houthis should end all attacks on ships not taking part in the conflict and immediately release the crew members in their custody.”

According to the HRW report, Houthi naval forces attacked the Greek-operated, Liberian-flagged bulk carrier MV Magic Seas on July 6, about 51 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah. Multiple small craft fired rocket-propelled grenades, causing a fire onboard. The ship’s 22 crew members were rescued by a passing vessel after abandoning ship, which sank the next day.

On July 7, the Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged MV Eternity C was attacked just west of Hodeidah. The Houthis stated they used naval drones and six cruise and ballistic missiles in the assault, which continued into July 8. The ship sank on July 9.

Of the Eternity C’s 25-person crew, Reuters reported four may have been killed, while the ship’s Greek operator confirmed 10 were rescued. Human Rights Watch noted that six of the remaining 11 crew members are believed to be unlawfully detained by the Houthis. While a Houthi spokesperson claimed the crew were rescued and moved to a safe place, HRW stated it appears they are still being held unlawfully.

The rights group directly refuted Houthi claims that the ships had violated a ban on dealings with Israeli ports. The Magic Seas was carrying fertilizer and steel billets from China to Turkey, while the Eternity C was en route to Saudi Arabia from Somalia, where it had just delivered humanitarian aid for the UN World Food Programme. All vessels engaged in humanitarian missions are exempt from attack under international law.

Human Rights Watch said it reviewed Houthi-posted videos and photos of the attacks, which show the ships being boarded and subsequently sinking after multiple explosions.

A Pattern of Attacks and Environmental Disaster

HRW noted this is part of a pattern of Houthi actions since November 2023, which it has previously found to constitute war crimes, including the seizure of the Galaxy Leader and the 14-month detention of its crew.

The report stressed that under international law, such as the San Remo Manual, attacks are strictly limited to military objectives. “Houthi forces... deliberately attacked commercial vessels that could clearly be identified as civilian, were not engaged in belligerent activities, and posed no military threat,” HRW concluded.

The sinkings now pose a severe environmental threat. Wim Zwijnenburg, an analyst at the Dutch NGO PAX, told HRW that satellite imagery shows large oil slicks trailing from both wrecks, threatening wildlife in a protected nature reserve on Eritrea’s coast and washing ashore near the fishing community of Idi.

Dr. Abdulqader Alkharraz, a former Yemeni environmental specialist, warned that Yemen is still suffering from the sinking of the MV Rubymar in March 2024, which was carrying hazardous fertilizers and caused a large loss of marine life. He told HRW it will be difficult to contain the crisis from the Magic Seas, as the type of fertilizer it carried dissolves quickly.

Broader Context of a Widening Conflict

While focusing on the Houthi attacks, HRW also placed the events in the wider context of the conflict, noting that “Israeli forces have deliberately attacked critical infrastructure in Yemen, including Hodeidah’s port... and Sanaa airport.” The report also stated that the Houthis have attacked civilian areas in Israel.

“It is critical for concerned governments to recognize war crimes, regardless of which party is responsible,” Jafarnia said. “Governments urgently need to address the humanitarian impact of the abuses and quickly clean up the oil and chemical spills resulting from the sunken ships to mitigate environmental disaster.