The Galaxy Leader car carrier, hijacked by Iran-backed Houthis, has been located in the region of the port of Hodeidah in Yemen.
car carrier, hijacked by Iran-backed Houthis, has been located in the region of the port of Hodeidah in Yemen. The ship owned and managed by Ray Car Carriers, controlled by Israeli tycoon Abraham Rami Ungar, and operated by Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) was boarded by military personnel via a helicopter in the Red Sea on Sunday.
Houthis released video footage on Monday showing armed men dropping from a helicopter and seizing the ship they described as Israeli.
The vessel’s registered owner, Galaxy Maritime, said on Monday that Galaxy Leader was at the Hodeidah port and that all communications had been lost.
The latest data from TankerTrackers.com, one of the world’s foremost observers of illicit tanker trades, confirmed the vessel arrived in the anchorage of Hodeidah yesterday.
The Bahamas-flagged 4,500 ceu ship was heading to India and had no cargo at the time of the hijacking. It has a crew of 25 made up of nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania.
“Owners and managers believe the seizure of this vessel represents a gross violation of freedom of passage for the world fleet and a serious threat to international trade,” Galaxy Maritime said, adding that the “key concern at this time is the safety and security of the 25 crew members currently being held by the perpetrators of this criminal act”.
Diplomatic channels are trying to work towards gaining the crew’s freedom. Japan’s top government spokesperson on Monday said the country was appealing to the Houthis while seeking the help of Saudi, Omani and Iranian authorities to work toward the swift release of the vessel and its crew.
The US and the UK have also condemned the hijacking, calling for the vessel’s immediate release.
“The Houthi seizure of the motor vessel Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea is a flagrant violation of international law,” U.S. State Department spokeman Matthew Miller told a briefing. “We demand the immediate release of the ship and its crew and we will consult with our allies and UN partners as to appropriate next steps.”
“The United Kingdom condemns the unlawful seizure of MV Galaxy Leader by the Houthis in the Red Sea and we call for the immediate, and unconditional, release of the ship and its crew,” a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said on Tuesday.
“Iran has long provided military and political support to the Houthis. We have made it clear to Iran that it bears responsibility for the actions of its proxies and partners. Iran must actively restrain these groups to prevent the conflict escalating across the region,” the statement added.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu also blamed Iran for the hijacking, saying: “This is another act of Iranian terrorism which expresses a leap forward in Iran’s aggression against the citizens of the free world, and creates international implications regarding the security of global shipping lanes.”
Meanwhile, Iran has dismissed Israeli claims, with the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, stressing that “resistance groups in the region act independently and spontaneously based on their interests and that of their people.”
