Filipino seafarer Cocoy was off-duty and resting in his cabin when the captain's voice boomed over the intercom of the cargo ship: "We are under attack".

The 38-year-old realised what sounded like a "knock" from inside the vessel was gunfire being exchanged by ship security and Huthi rebels swarming the ship in small boats.

The July 6 assault on the Greek-owned Magic Seas broke a months-long lull in attacks by Yemen's Huthi rebels on Red Sea shipping, which began after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Crew members scrambled to reach the "muster station" at the centre of the ship, considered the safest place should a projectile strike the vessel.

"There was panic, but we knew we had to move. It's like we were on autopilot," said Cocoy, who asked to be referred to by his nickname as he undergoes a debriefing.

"(The crew) were in a daze, but they were all rushing to do their assigned jobs for our safety protocol... maybe I looked dazed too," he told........

© International Business Times