Filipino crew of ship sunk by Houthis released, flown to Oman
SANAA, Yemen — Nine Filipino crew members of the cargo ship Eternity C, which was sunk by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in July, have been released and flown from Sanaa to Muscat, Oman, according to rebel media.
“The crew of the ship Eternity C have been released through Omani mediation, and a plane is transporting them from Sanaa to Muscat,” Houthi rebels’ Al-Masirah television channel reported. The channel later confirmed on X that ten crew members “left Sanaa airport” on Wednesday afternoon.
Footage broadcast by Oman TV showed the Filipino crew arriving in the capital, where they were received by Omani and Philippine officials. Philippine authorities had earlier announced that nine Filipino crew members were set to be released by the Iran-backed group.
A Houthi security source told AFP the release was part of an agreement to repatriate 35 Yemenis stranded abroad. “An agreement was reached with the Omani side for the return of the sick and wounded who are abroad. They will be handed over to Sanaa, and the crew of the Eternity C will be handed over to the Omani side,” the source said.
A Houthi political source added that the deal came under “pressure” from Sanaa and that the Omani plane transporting the crew also brought back wounded individuals and others stranded abroad.
The Eternity C, flying the Liberian flag, was one of two commercial vessels sunk in the Red Sea in July. The Houthis said the attacks were part of a campaign against maritime traffic alleged to have links to Israel. The rebels claimed their campaign was launched in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza following the war between Israel and Hamas.
At the time of the attack, the Houthis released a video of the Eternity C, stating they had “rescued” an unspecified number of the crew and taken them to a safe location. Since a Gaza truce in October, the Houthis have not carried out further attacks on shipping or Israel.
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