Yemeni Houthis have released the crew of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which they captured in November 2023 in the Red Sea. Among those released are citizens of Ukraine.
The Associated Press writes about this.
According to the Yemeni Al Masirah TV channel, the sailors were handed over to Oman, which was the mediator in the negotiations for their release.
According to the AP, a total of 25 people were released — citizens of the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and Mexico. Ukraine has not yet officially commented on the release of its citizens from Yemeni captivity.
What preceded
The Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader ship in November 2023, shortly after the group vowed to attack any vessels associated with Israel.
The ship was sailing from Turkey to India under the flag of the Bahamas and was chartered by a company from Japan. The Houthis explained that they seized the ship because it belongs to the British company Ray Car Carriers. One of its co-owners is Israeli businessman Rami Unger.
In January 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that four Ukrainian sailors were being held captive by the Yemeni Houthis. He did not provide any details, but it is likely that he was referring to the Galaxy Leader ship that the Houthis had captured.
On the evening of January 15, 2025, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. The Houthis then announced that they would voluntarily abide by the agreement and suspend attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Houthi attacks on ships had been ongoing since late 2023, leading most Western container ships to bypass the Red Sea in 2024 and take a much longer route around South Africa on their Asia-Europe voyages. This led to longer shipping times, higher prices, and higher tariffs.