The heightened risk for Israeli-linked ships passing through the Red Sea in the wake of a car carrier hijacking on Sunday is seeing some ships divert, while insurers are reassessing their coverage of the area.
A ship owned by Ray Car Carriers and operated by Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) was hijacked by the Houthis on Sunday, bringing instability to international trade lanes in the wake of war between Israel and Hamas.
The Galaxy Leader car carrier has a crew of 25. It was boarded by armed forces repelling from a helicopter (see video below), a method Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps have used in vessel seizures in the Strait of Hormuz in recent years. The ship has been taken to Salif port in Yemen.
car carrier has a crew of 25. It was boarded by armed forces repelling from a helicopter (see video below), a method Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps have used in vessel seizures in the Strait of Hormuz in recent years. The ship has been taken to Salif port in Yemen.The US maritime administration MARAD in an advisory said the Galaxy Leader had been hijacked approximately 80 km west of the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, adding that ships should “exercise caution when transiting this area.”
Two other ships belonging to Ray Car Carriers – Glovis Star and Hermes Leader – have since diverted their course to avoid the Red Sea with a Houthi armed forces spokesperson saying over the weekend that they would continue to target Israeli-affiliated merchant shipping.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Iran, which backs the Houthi militia, for the hijacking.
“We strongly condemn the Iranian attack against an international ship,” Netanyahu said. “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.”
disgusting.
Brave guys, attacking an unarmed crew!