Yemen's Houthis free crew of Galaxy Leader after over a year, Al Masirah TV reports (updated)

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha

22/01/2025 13:18

(Adds detail, background)
    By Jana  Choukeir
       DUBAI, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis
have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year
after they seized the Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red
Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday.
    It said the crew were handed to Oman "in coordination" with
the three-day-old ceasefire in Gaza's war between Israel and
Palestinian militant group Hamas.
        "The release of the Galaxy Leader crew comes within the
framework of our solidarity with Gaza and in support of the
ceasefire agreement," it quoted the Houthi Supreme Political
Council as saying.
  
        The crew is comprised of 25 nationals from Bulgaria,
Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, according to the
car carrier's owner Galaxy Maritime. The vessel was chartered by
    Japan's Nippon Yusen
    .
  
        The Galaxy Leader was escorted to the Red Sea port of
Hodeidah in Houthi-controlled north Yemen after being boarded by
Houthi forces at sea on Nov. 19, 2023, soon after the outbreak
of war in Gaza.
  
        Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Monday the
group was ready to act if Israel violated the Gaza ceasefire
agreement.
  
        "We are in constant readiness to intervene immediately
at any time the Israeli enemy returns to escalation, genocidal
crimes and siege of the Gaza Strip," he said.
  
        The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on
ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were
acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel's
devastating air and ground war against Hamas in Gaza. They have
sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four
seafarers.
  
        The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing
firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around
southern Africa for more than a year.
  


 (Reporting by Jana Choukeir; writing by Nayera Abdallah;
Editing by Sharon Singleton and Mark Heinrich)
 ((Nayera.Abdallah@thomsonreuters.com;))