Houthis May Soon Release 25 Member Crew Of Galaxy Leader Held Hostage For 429 Days

The 25-member crew of the Galaxy Leader car carrier may soon be released after spending over 14 months in captivity under Yemen’s Houthi forces.

A senior Houthi official told Japan’s All-Nippon News Network (ANN) that the ship’s crew would be released in “the coming days” through negotiations facilitated by Palestinian mediators.

The Galaxy Leader, a Bahamas-flagged car carrier owned by Ray Car Carriers and operated by Japan’s NYK Line, was seized on November 19, 2023.

Armed Houthis boarded the vessel via a helicopter, capturing the 25 crew members, including 17 Filipinos, three Ukrainians, two Mexicans, two Bulgarians, and one Romanian.

Attempts for the release of the crew over the past 14 months have been unsuccessful until now.

Since then, over 300 attacks on merchant vessels have been recorded, with the Houthis claiming these actions were in retaliation for the conflict between Israel and…

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