Galaxy Leader
 Galaxy Leader at Bremerhaven, 2006
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Galaxy Leader |
| Operator | Nippon Yusen |
| Port of registry | Nassau |
| Builder | Stocznia Gdynia |
| Yard number | 8213/1 |
| Launched | May 18, 2002[1][2] |
| Completed | June 26, 2002 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Hijacked and held by the Houthis |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 189.20 m (620 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 32.29 m (105 ft 11 in) |
| Height | 13.99 m (45 ft 11 in) |
| Draft | 9.52 m (31 ft 3 in) |
| Crew | 25 |
Galaxy Leader is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier built in 2002 at Stocznia Gdynia in Gdynia, Poland. It was operated by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen, and owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd., which in turn is owned by Ray Car Carriers, Ltd., which is co-owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar. In November 2023, the ship was hijacked by Houthis, who seized the ship and took its 25 crew members hostage in Yemen.
Technical specifications
[edit]The vehicle carrier is powered by a Sulzer 7-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine of type 7RTA-62U with a power of 15,540 kW (20,840 hp). The engine drives a propeller. Three generators, powered by two MAN diesel engines of type 7L28/32H and one MAN diesel engine of type 6L28/32H, are available for power generation. Additionally, there is an emergency generator driven by another diesel engine of type MAN D 2866. The ship is equipped with an electrically driven bow thruster. Galaxy Leader has two loading ramps. The stern ramp has a capacity of 120 tons. The second ramp with lower capacity is located midships on the starboard side. The ship has six decks, interconnected by ramps. The vehicle capacity is approximately 4,500 Car Equivalent Units.
Construction, career, and ownership
[edit]The ship, assigned yard number 8213/1, was constructed at the Stocznia Gdynia shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, in 2002. Keel laying took place on November 5, 2001, and the launch occurred on May 18, 2002. The ship was completed on June 26, 2002. It is one of two identical ships; the sister ship is the Global Leader. Both ships are managed by STAMCO Shipmanagement in Piraeus, Greece.[3]
The ship's registered owner is Galaxy Maritime Ltd., a company registered in the Isle of Man, and its flag state is the Bahamas; at the time of its seizure, the ship was chartered by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yūsen K.K.,[4][5] which is also known as NYK Line.[6] Galaxy Maritime Ltd. is owned by the Isle of Man shipping company Ray Car Carriers,[6][5] of which the beneficial owners are Abraham (Rami) Ungar and Yael Ungar.[7]
Hijacking in 2023
[edit]On November 19, 2023, Galaxy Leader was in ballast on a journey from Körfez, Turkey to Pipavav, India, when it was hijacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea near the Yemeni port city of Hodeida.[8][9][4] The Houthis have engaged in a series of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which has impacted the global container shipping[10] and marine insurance industries.[11]
At least ten armed Houthi hijackers used a military helicopter to board the vessel.[12] After seizing the vessel, they brought it to Hodeida.[13][14] Onboard Galaxy Leader were 25 crew members, including 17 from the Philippines; other crew members came from Bulgaria (including the captain and first mate), Ukraine, Mexico, and Romania.[14][13] The maritime risk management firm Ambrey also described the hijacking as sophisticated and bearing the hallmarks of an Iranian-style operation.[15] The Houthis videorecorded their attack and released the footage the next day,[16][17] using the attack as propaganda.[17]
An American defense official told the Associated Press in November 2023 that hijackers appeared to have been trained by a professional military, possibly Iran's.[15] The Iranian government supports the Houthis, and the U.S. government said in December 2023 that the Iranian operational and intelligence assistance facilitated the Houthis' attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.[18] The Iranian government denied involvement.[18][15]
The hijacking of Galaxy Leader, as well as a spate of Houthi drone and missile attacks on merchant shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait passing into the Red Sea, threatened global shipping routes. This prompted the creation, in December 2023, of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multilateral operation of ten nations to protect shipping in the area.[19][20] The effort, which is under the auspices of the Combined Task Force 153, is led by the United States Navy, with the participation of the Royal Navy, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain.[20]
Crew hostages
[edit]Houthis continue to hold the 25 crew members as hostages,[21] consisting of 17 Filipinos, two Bulgarians, three Ukrainians, two Mexicans, and one Romanian. Filipino foreign affairs official Eduardo de Vega stated, in March 2024, that he does not expect the hostages to be released until the war in Gaza is over.[22]
The Houthis turned the ship into a tourist attraction.[23] After the ship was seized and brought to Hodeidah, Yemeni visitors were brought (via motor boat) to Galaxy Leader for tours; some took selfies as rifle-toting Yemenis patrolled the deck,[23][5] and Yemeni social media influencers danced on board the ship.[24] Pro-Hamas graffiti was also scrawled on the ship.[5] The Houthis also used the ship as a set for a propaganda music video (entitled “Axis of Jihad"), in which Houthi poet Issa al-Laith appears on deck and sings "Death to America and hostile Zion/ By God, we shall not be defeated!"[25]
The whereabouts of the hostages are not publicly known.[23] Galaxy Maritime repeatedly called for release of its 25 crew members,[26][27] saying that they "have no connection whatsoever" to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, and that "Nothing can be achieved by their further detention."[27] The ship owner also said that the crew members had been allowed "modest contact" with their families and were being treated "as well as can be expected in the circumstances".[27] At an assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United States, the Bahamas, and Japan condemned the hijacking of Galaxy Leader as well as other Houthi acts that threatened freedom of navigation. The countries called for the unconditional release of the vessel's captain and crew.[27] The U.S. Department of State said that the seizure was "a flagrant violation of international law".[13]
On 22 January 2024, IMO Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez gave an opening address to the 10th Session of the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC), repeating his calls for the immediate release of Galaxy Leader and its crew.[28][29] Satellite imagery revealed that, in late February or early March 2024, the ship was brought closer to the Hodeidah, being moved from 2 km offshore to about 500 m from the port.[22]
By March 2024, the crew had been held hostage for more than a hundred days; the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said there was no indication that the Houthis planned to release the crew.[22] A Houthi spokesman, Nasr Al-Din Amer, claimed that the Houthis had "no claims of our own regarding this vessel" and that they had turned over the ship and hostages to Hamas and its Al-Qassam Brigades.[22] A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Galaxy Leader's crew for the first time on 12 May 2024.[30]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Galaxy Leader, balticshipping.com, October 22, 2010, retrieved November 21, 2012
- ^ Galaxy Leader - IMO 9237307, scheepvaartwest.be, August 9, 2013, retrieved November 21, 2022
- ^ Stamco Galaxy Leader, stamco.gr, archived from the original on December 7, 2023, retrieved November 21, 2023
- ^ a b Seizure of Pure Car and Truck Carrier Chartered by NYK, Press Release, November 19, 2023, retrieved November 21, 2023
- ^ a b c d "Images show tours on board Houthi hijacked ship". BBC News. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ a b Emily McGarvey and Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Japan condemns Yemen's Houthi rebels hijack of cargo ship in Red Sea, BBC News (20 November 2023).
- ^ Bockmann, Michelle Wiese (November 19, 2023). "Houthis 'hijack' Israeli-owned car carrier Galaxy Leader". Lloyd's List. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ "Global shipping on edge after Houthis seize Israeli vessels". DW.com. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ Jonathan Saul (November 20, 2023). "Two ships divert course away from Red Sea area after vessel seized by Houthis". Reuters. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ Faucon, Benoit; Paris, Costas; Lubold, Gordon (December 12, 2023). "Houthi Rebel Attacks Rattle Global Shipping". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Wells, Kane (November 23, 2023). "Hijacking of Galaxy Leader has broader implications for marine war underwriters: Skytek". ReinsuranceNe.ws. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Christiaan Triebert and David Botti, Video Shows Yemen’s Houthi Militia Hijacking Ship in the Red Sea, New York Times (November 11, 2023).
- ^ a b c "Seized Galaxy Leader ship in Yemen's Hodeidah port area -owner". Reuters. November 21, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "Houthi Commander Welcomes Hijacked Crew to Yemen". The Maritime Executive. November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Analysis: Iran-backed Yemen rebels' helicopter-borne attack on ship raises risks in crucial Red Sea". AP News. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Video shows moment Houthi rebels storm cargo ship in the Red Sea, CNN (November 21, 2023).
- ^ a b Yemen's Houthis publish footage of Galaxy Leader hijacking, Jewish News Syndicate (November 20, 2023).
- ^ a b Iran denies helping Houthis plan attacks on Israel-linked ships, Reuters (December 23, 2023).
- ^ US-led coalition to create safe corridor in Red Sea as ship diversions mount, Financial Times (December 21, 2023)
- ^ a b WSC says Operation Prosperity Guardian to aid maritime security amid Red Sea attacks, S&P Global (December 19, 2023).
- ^ Isabel Debre & Jon Gambrell, Yemen's Houthi rebels hijack an Israeli-linked ship in the Red Sea and take 25 crew members hostage Associated Press (November 20, 2023).
- ^ a b c d Scott McLean, Kathleen Magramo and Florence Davey-Attlee, The Gaza conflict's forgotten shipping crew held hostage in the Red Sea, CNN (March 14, 2024).
- ^ a b c Shayma Bakht & Larisa Brown, I visited the hijacked Red Sea ship that's now a tourist trap, The Times (December 24, 2023).
- ^ Yemeni social media influencers dance on Galaxy Leader cargo ship hijacked by Houthi rebels in Red Sea, Sky News (November 28, 2023).
- ^ Honed at Home in Yemen, Houthi Propaganda Is Going Global, New York Times (January 24, 2024).
- ^ Chambers, Sam (May 8, 2024). "Two more MSC ships targeted by the Houthis". Splash247.
- ^ a b c d "Crew of seized Galaxy Leader allowed 'modest' contact with families -shipowner". Reuters. December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
- ^ "IMO Sec-Gen calls for immediate release of Galaxy Leader and crew". SeaTradeMaritime. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "'Release Galaxy Leader crew immediately', pleads IMO chief". TradeWinds. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Red Cross visits ship's crew for first time since being detained in Yemen". Middle East Monitor. Harrrow, UK. May 13, 2024. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.