Yemen’s Houthis have released the 25 crew of the Bahamas flagged car carrier Galaxy Leader, 14 months after it was seized off Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The crew are from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico, and Romania. They were held captive from 19 November 2023 when Houthi forces boarded the vessel at sea via helicopter and escorted it into the port of Hodeidah. They targeted the vessel due to its apparent links to Israeli billionaire Abraham ‘Rami’ Ungar (the vessel is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd, which is owned by Ray Car Carriers, which is co-owned by Ungar).
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez welcomed the release of the vessel’s crew. “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. It is also a return to operations in the Red Sea as we have been accustomed to, and upholding of the freedom of navigation.”
The US Department of State expressed deep gratitude to the Sultanate of Oman for its “essential and timely efforts to secure the release of the crew” on Wednesday.
“The Houthis had unlawfully detained the crew since violently seizing their vessel over a year ago. The Houthis have still not released the MV Galaxy Leader itself, which is stolen property. Houthi attacks have endangered the lives of seafarers, hindered the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance, and harmed economies across the region,” a Department of State statement said.
“We must not be distracted by this insufficient action by the Houthis. Within Yemen, the Houthis continue to round up and detain hundreds of local staff members of the UN, NGOs, and diplomatic missions under abysmal conditions, including dozens of current and former Yemeni staff of the United States government unlawfully held based on false accusations. The Houthis have also stated that they will continue their unlawful attacks in the Red Sea against certain vessels associated with Israel. The Houthis must permanently cease all attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways without exception and immediately release all of the hundreds of detainees,” the statement concluded.
The release of the Galaxy Leader’s crew to Oman was in coordination with the ceasefire in Gaza’s war between Israel and Hamas, according to the Houthi Supreme Political Council.
The Houthis said on Sunday they would limit attacks in the Red Sea to Israeli-affiliated ships in line with the Gaza ceasefire, but could expand attacks again if needed. Attacks on Israeli vessels would cease once the ceasefire is fully implemented.
Attacks on ships since the October 2023 Hamas strike on Israel have seen maritime traffic drop by half in the Red Sea. The Houthis have targeted over 100 merchant vessels, sinking two and killing four crew.
These attacks saw an international response to counter Houthi drones and missiles, with the US and its allies striking the Houthis more than 260 times.
