Owners of Houthi-held ship say encouraged by reports of seafarers’ imminent release
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released on November 20, 2023. (Reuters)
Galaxy Maritime Ltd, the Isle of Man registered owner of bulk carrier “Galaxy Leader” hijacked by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in November, said on Friday that it was encouraged by reports from the Philippines that the release of 17 of their seafarers held by the Houthis was imminent.
The bulker’s crew was made up of 25 seafarers from Bulgaria, Mexico, Romania, Ukraine and the Philippines, and the company said it was committed to meeting the repatriation expenses of all of the captive seafarers.
The Bahamas flagged car carrier was taken to the port of Hodeidah, and then to the nearby port of al-Salfi in the Houthi controlled north of Yemen after being boarded at sea on November 19 by commandos with the group.
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Shipping giants including Hapag-Lloyd and Denmark’s Maersk earlier this month stopped using Red Sea routes and the Suez Canal after Yemen’s Houthi militant group began targeting vessels, disrupting global trade.
Instead, they rerouted ships around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid attacks, charging customers extra fees and adding days or weeks to the time it takes to transport goods from Asia to Europe and to the east coast of North America.
Several countries, led by the United States, on December 19 agreed to patrol the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to safeguard commercial shipping against attacks by the Houthis in the area.
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