Houthis release Galaxy Leader crew after more than a year in captivity

# Houthis release Galaxy Leader crew after more than a year in captivity

Yemen's Houthi movement has released the 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship it seized in November 2023 at the start of its campaign against Red Sea shipping linked to the Gaza war. The move came after months of diplomacy involving several governments and the International Maritime Organization.

The BBC report says the crew included Filipinos, Mexicans, Romanians, Bulgarians and Ukrainians. They had been detained since Houthi fighters boarded the Bahamas-flagged vehicle carrier by helicopter while it was sailing from Turkey to India. Houthi-run Al Masirah TV said the crew was handed over to Oman in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.

The release is important because the Galaxy Leader was among the most prominent seizures in the Red Sea crisis. Its capture came soon after the Houthis began attacks on shipping they said were linked to the Gaza war. Over the following months, they targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks, sank two ships and killed four crew members, according to the BBC report.

The news was greeted with obvious relief by maritime officials. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez called the release a moment of profound relief not only for the crew and their families but also for the wider maritime community. He said the breakthrough showed the value of collective diplomacy and dialogue. The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called it a step in the right direction and urged the Houthis to end all maritime attacks.

The vessel itself has long been a symbol of how the war in Gaza spilled into global trade. The Galaxy Leader was being operated by Japan's NYK shipping line when seized. It is owned through a structure connected to Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar, a fact repeatedly cited by the Houthis as part of their justification for the capture.

The release may also reflect the Houthis' effort to align their maritime campaign with the Gaza ceasefire. The report says they had signalled on Sunday that they would limit attacks in response to the truce, and an email to shipowners reportedly said sanctions on some vessels would be lifted. Abdul Malik al-Houthi later warned that the group would be ready to resume escalation if Israel violated the ceasefire.

Even so, the broader threat to shipping remains. The Red Sea attacks have pushed many operators to reroute around the southern tip of Africa, increasing cost and transit time. The World Shipping Council welcomed the crew's release as an immense relief but said the situation in the Red Sea still presented serious challenges.

The crew's release does not end the maritime crisis, but it removes one of its most visible human stories. After more than a year in captivity, the Galaxy Leader's seafarers are free, and the diplomatic pressure now shifts to whether the Houthis will follow this move with a broader halt to attacks on shipping.