DUBAI – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized their Bahamas-flagged ship off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al-Masira TV reported. reported on Wednesday.
It said the crew was handed over to Oman “in coordination” with a three-day ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“The release of the Galaxy Leader crew comes within the scope of our solidarity with Gaza and support for the ceasefire agreement,” he quoted the Houthi Supreme Political Council as saying.
According to the car carrier’s owner, Galaxy Maritime, the crew consists of 25 nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania. The ship was chartered by Nippon Yusen of Japan.
The Galaxy Leader was taken to the Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Houthi-controlled northern Yemen after being boarded by Houthi forces on November 19, 2023, shortly after the war in Gaza began.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Monday that the group, officially known as Ansar Allah, is ready to act if Israel violates the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
“We are ready to intervene immediately whenever the Israeli enemy returns to extremism, genocidal crimes and the siege of the Gaza Strip,” he said.
“The release of the Galaxy Leader crew is heartbreaking news after they and their families have endured more than a year of arbitrary detention,” UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a statement. And what is the end of segregation.”
“This is a step in the right direction, and I urge Ansarullah to continue these positive steps on all fronts, including ending all naval attacks,” Grundberg said.
The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were standing in solidarity with the Palestinians against Israel’s devastating air and ground war against Hamas in Gaza. They have sunk two boats, captured another and killed at least four ships.
The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to reroute long and expensive voyages around South Africa for more than a year.
“Innocent seafarers should not be victims of suicide attacks in the midst of wider geopolitical tensions,” International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.
“We call on all nations to support their ships and shipping so that this does not happen again,” the International Chamber of Shipping said in a statement.
