Tracking the ship attacked in the Red Sea on Sundaypublished at 14:42 British Summer Time 7 July
Emma Pengelly
BBC Verify journalist
Image source, MarineTrafficThe journey of bulk carrier Magic Seas from China towards Egypt before it was attacked in the Red Sea
A Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, Magic Seas, came under attack on Sunday in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. In the last hour the Houthi rebel group has claimed responsibility.
The attack involved small arms fire, self-propelled grenades and missiles – tactics previously used by Houthis against commercial shipping passing along the Yemeni coastline.
Vanguard Tech, a maritime risk company, said fire and flooding caused the crew to abandon ship. All 22 people onboard are now safe, according to the EU Naval Force, which was involved in the rescue.
The last recorded position of Magic Seas – according to vessel tracking site MarineTraffic- was sent at 17:00 local time (15:00 BST) on Sunday, and showed it west of the Yemeni port of Hudaydah.
Magic Seas had started its journey from Zhuhai in China on 11 June, and its tracking data showed its recorded destination as the Suez Canal, with no onwards details.
Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war, the Houthis have regularly launched missiles at Israel and attacked ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Magic Seas is owned by Allseas Marine. A second bulk carrier affiliated with this company is currently docked at Ashdod in Israel, according to MarineTraffic data. Vanguard Tech has identified two further ships linked to Allseas Marine that visited Israeli ports in April and June last year.
“These factors put the Magic Seas at an extreme risk of being targeted,” Vanguard said.
BBC Verify has contacted Allseas Marine for comment.