News - Middle East: A maritime risk intelligence official has described the sinking of the Eternity C vessel as a “harsh wake-up call” for the global shipping industry regarding the importance of robust risk assessments.

Eli Shafiq, an intelligence officer at the UK-based Vanguard Tech company, told The Jerusalem Post that “the sinking of the ship in the Red Sea, the loss of life, and the subsequent detention of crew members is a wake-up call about the critical importance of ongoing due diligence and strong risk assessment, which could have prevented this incident.”

He stressed that as long as the war in Gaza continues, ships with real or perceived affiliations to the Zionist entity will remain at heightened risk.

“Including affiliation checks as a routine part of regional transport planning should not be considered optional—it must become standard best practice,” Shafiq said. He added that seafarers should not be left to bear the consequences of institutional failures beyond their control.

Under the headline “Houthis 'saved us,' ETERNITY C crew taken hostage in Red Sea say in new footage,” The Jerusalem Post published full coverage on Tuesday of video footage released by Yemeni military media. The video shows crew members stating that Yemeni naval forces “rescued” them at sea, provided safe shelter, met their needs, and ensured their protection.

Previously, the Yemeni Armed Forces confirmed the sinking of ETERNITY C, which was en route to the Port of Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) in occupied Palestine, in defiance of Yemen’s naval blockade. The attack involved a drone boat strike and six cruise and ballistic missiles, fully submerging the vessel. The entire operation was documented in both audio and video formats.

Following the attack, Yemeni naval special forces rescued several crew members, providing medical care and transporting them to safety. This strike came after the ship and its owning company repeatedly ignored Yemeni warnings and resumed operations with the banned Israeli port.

Yemen’s military campaign targets all vessels linked to Israeli ports, aiming to pressure Israel to lift the siege on Gaza and stop its aggression. Despite repeated warnings, some companies continue violating the blockade, prompting decisive Yemeni naval responses.

The ETERNITY C incident follows the earlier sinking of the Magic Seas ship, which also ignored Yemeni radio warnings and was sunk after an unmanned boat set it on fire, followed by a special forces raid that detonated the ship. These operations, captured on high-resolution video, send a strong message to maritime companies about the consequences of defying Yemen’s blockade.