Greek sailor Vangelis Staridas has shared chilling details of the 48 hours of terror he endured at sea following a violent missile attack on the commercial vessel Eternity C by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea earlier last July.
He spoke to Greece’s Alpha TV, describing the moment the vessel was struck by multiple projectiles, including rocket-propelled grenades and explosive drones, while sailing approximately 50 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, Yemen.
“The sky lit up with fire. We were surrounded. It felt like the sea itself was closing in on us,” Staridas recounted emotionally. He remained aboard with the Filipino captain until the final moments, helping coordinate the evacuation of crew members amid chaos and flames.
The attack, which claimed the lives of three crew members and injured others, marked one of the deadliest maritime incidents in the Red Sea this year.
Staridas was eventually rescued nearly 24 hours later by private maritime security firms Diaplous and Ambrey, after being found adrift in the water.
The Eternity C attack was part of a broader pattern of Houthi rebels targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea, raising alarms among international maritime authorities.