Yemen’s Houthis free crew of Galaxy Leader cargo ship after 14 months in captivity

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(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has released the crew of GALAXY LEADER more than a year after its fighters hijacked the vessel in the Red Sea, as part of its campaign of attacks in support of Hamas in its war against Israel.

The Galaxy Leader’s 25-strong crew – 17 Filipinos, three Ukrainians, two Bulgarians, two Mexicans and a Romanian – has been handed to mediators from Oman, the Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported Wednesday.

The freed Filipino seafarers were under the care of the Philippine Embassy in Muscat, Oman, and “will be reunited with their loved ones in the Philippines very soon,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement Wednesday.

The crew’s release comes just days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, bringing a reprieve to Palestinians in Gaza after 15 months of war. The Houthis had long said they would only wind down their campaign in the Red Sea once Israel halted its offensive in Gaza.
Crew members of the Galaxy Leader cargo vessel have been released by the Houthi rebels in Sanaa, Yemen. AFP

The crew had been held hostage since November 2023, when armed Houthis – descending from a helicopter bearing Yemeni and Palestinian flags – stormed the ship off the coast of Yemen.

The Houthi attacks forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.

The Philippines and other nations as well as the IMO and other shipping organizations made repeated appeals for the release of the crew. They highlight their nationalities while saying the crew had no direct involvement in the conflict. The Philippines which had the majority of the crewmembers aboard the vessel repeatedly said the situation was complicated by “politics” warning it was likely to be a drawn-out process for the crew’s release.

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez immediately released a statement today saying, “This is a moment of profound relief for all of us - not only for the crew and their families, but also to the wider maritime community... Today’s breakthrough is a testament to the power of collective diplomacy and dialogue, recognizing that innocent seafarers must not become collateral victims in wider geopolitical tensions.”

 

 

 

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