Crew of cargo ship rescued in Red Sea, EU naval force says

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ATHENS (Reuters) -The crew of Panama-flagged cargo ship MV ISA STAR have been rescued in the Red Sea after sending a distress signal, the EU’s Aspides naval mission said.

“All crew members aboard the MV ISA STAR have been rescued and will be transported to Djibouti, the nearest safe port of call,” Aspides said in a statement posted on Facebook.

The vessel had reported flooding in the engine room and the master requested assistance, it said, as its crew of 20 were forced to abandon it.

One maritime security source told Reuters that the ship experienced engine problems and another source said that it had reported an internal explosion. Details on the current condition of the vessel were not immediately available.

The ship was about 100 nautical miles off the port of Hodeidah, Yemen, when it called for assistance, the sources said.

Iran-aligned Houthi forces have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war between Hamas and Israel.

It was not clear if this incident was linked to Houthi activity.

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Yannis Souliotis; Writing by Renee Maltezou; editing by Saad Sayeed and Jason Neely)