Yemen’s Houthis release crew of seized cargo ship Galaxy Leader
Yemen’s Houthi movement has released the crew of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which it seized in November 2023 at the start of a campaign of attacks on Red Sea shipping linked to the Gaza war.
The 25 Filipinos, Mexicans, Romanians, Bulgarians and Ukrainians have been detained since Houthi fighters used a helicopter to board the Bahamas-flagged vehicle carrier as it sailed from Turkey to India.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said the crew had been handed over to Oman “in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza” between Hamas and Israel, which started on Sunday.
The release comes after months of diplomacy involving their countries, as well as the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The news was welcomed by the IMO’s Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, who said: “This is a moment of profound relief for all of us – not only for the crew and their families, but also to the wider maritime community.”
“Today’s breakthrough is a testament to the power of collective diplomacy and dialogue, recognizing that innocent seafarers must not become collateral victims in wider geopolitical tensions,” he added.
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said: “This is a step in the right direction, and I urge [the Houthis] to continue these positive steps on all fronts, including ending all maritime attacks.”
Over the past 14 months, the Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. As well as seizing the Galaxy Leader, they have sunk two vessels and killed four crew members.
They have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed – often falsely – that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK.
The Galaxy Leader was being operated by the Japanese shipping line NYK when it was seized.
The vessel is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd, which is registered in the Isle of Man. It is in turn owned by Ray Car Carriers, which is co-owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar, according to documents from the Isle of Man Government’s Companies registry.
Source: BBC
