Hijacking in 2023

On November 19, 2023, the 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.^[7][8][9] 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.^[9][10] Galaxy Maritime Ltd. is owned by Ray Car Carriers, co-owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar.^[10]

At least ten armed Houthi hijackers used a military helicopter to board the vessel.^[11] After seizing the vessel, they brought it to Hodeida.^[12][13] Onboard the 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.^[13][12] The maritime risk management firm Ambrey also described the hijacking as sophisticated and bearing the hallmarks of an Iranian-style operation.^[14] The Houthis videorecorded their attack and released the footage the next day,^[15][16] using the attack as propaganda.^[16]

An American defense official told the Associated Press in November 2023 that hijackers appeared to having training by a professional military, possibly Iran's.^[14] The Iranian government supports the Houthis, and 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.^[17] The Iranian government denied involvement.^[17][14]

The Houthis kept the 25 crew members hostage,^[18] and turned the ship into a tourist attraction.^[19] After the ship was seized and brought to Hodeidah, Yemeni visitors were brought (via motor boat) to the Galaxy Leader for tours; some took selfies as rifle-toting Yemenis patrolled the deck,^[19][10] and Yemini social media influencers danced on board the ship.^[20] Pro-Hamas graffiti was also scrawled on the ship.^[10]

The whereabouts of the hostages are not publicly known.^[19] Galaxy Maritime called for the release of its 25 crew members, saying that they "have no connection whatsoever" to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, and that "Nothing can be achieved by their further detention."^[21] 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".^[21] At an assembly of the International Maritime Organization, the United States, the Bahamas, and Japan, condemned the hijacking of the Galaxy Leader and the Houthi acts that threatened freedom of navigation; the countries called for the unconditional release of the vessel's captain and crew.^[21] The U.S. Department of State said that the seizure was "a flagrant violation of international law".^[12]

The hijacking of the 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.^[22][23] The effort, which is under the auspices of the Combined Task Force 153, is led by the United States, with the participation of the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain.^[23]