Houthi captors have released the 25 members of the Galaxy Leader crew who taken hostage in November 2023 when the ro-ro vessel was hijacked transiting the Red Sea.
The crew of the Galaxy Leader car carrier, who were kidnapped by the Houthi movement in November 2023, have been released this week, following the announcement of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The release is also the result of months of diplomacy by the various home countries of crew, the Sultanate of Oman and the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The 25 members of the crew were Filipino, Mexican, Romanian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian and appeared in good health
The Galaxy Leader was being operated by NYK and transiting the Red Sea en route from to India from Turkey when it was boarded on November 19, 2023 by Houthis using a helicopter.
NYK said this week that it had it received notification on January 23 from Galaxy Maritime, the vessel owner based in the UK, that all 25 crew members of the car carrier Galaxy Leader have been released.
“As the vessel’s charterer, we are deeply relieved to receive this news,” said NYK in a statement. “We would also like to express our gratitude to the relevant authorities and organisations for their outstanding efforts in this matter.”
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also released a statement this week which expressed relief for the release of the prisoners. “Japan, in cooperation with the G7 and other like-minded countries, has been urging the Houthis and working with other countries concerned to release the crew and the vessel itself,” said a spokesperson for the ministry. “We highly appreciate the efforts of the Sultanate of Oman and all the countries concerned in achieving the release.”
While the crew have been released there is still no sign of the Galaxy Leader vessel or its cargo.
The hijack of the vessel and the kidnapping of the crew, along with sustained attacks on shipping moving through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, such as to the Maersk Hangzhou container carrier, led ro-ro and container ship operators to divert vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, lengthening delivery times between seven and ten days and taking capacity out of global maritime services.
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