 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 theHouthis |
| 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 aroll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier built in 2002 atStocznia Gdynia inGdynia,Poland. It was operated by the Japanese shipping companyNippon Yusen, and owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd., which in turn is owned by Ray Car Carriers, Ltd., which is co-owned by Israeli businessmanAbraham Ungar. In November 2023, the ship was hijacked byHouthis, who seized the ship and took its 25 crew members hostage inYemen.
The vehicle carrier is powered by aSulzer 7-cylinder, two-strokediesel engine of type 7RTA-62U with a power of 15,540 kW (20,840 hp). The engine drives a propeller. Three generators, powered by twoMAN 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 typeMAN D 2866. The ship is equipped with an electrically drivenbow 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 4,500Car Equivalent Units.
The ship, assignedyard number 8213/1, was constructed at theStocznia Gdynia shipyard inGdynia, Poland, in 2002.Keel laying took place on November 5, 2001, and thelaunch occurred on May 18, 2002. The ship was completed on June 26, 2002. It is one of two identical ships; the sister ship is theGlobal Leader. Both ships are managed by STAMCO Shipmanagement inPiraeus, Greece.[3]
The ship'sregistered owner is Galaxy Maritime Ltd., a company registered in theIsle of Man, and itsflag state is the Bahamas; at the time of its seizure, the ship waschartered by the Japanese shipping companyNippon 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 thebeneficial owners areAbraham (Rami) Ungar and Yael Ungar.[7]
On November 19, 2023,Galaxy Leader wasin ballast on a journey fromKörfez, Turkey toPipavav, India, when it washijacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea near the Yemeni port city ofHodeida.[8][9][4] The Houthis have engaged in aseries of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which has impacted the globalcontainer shipping[10] andmarine insurance industries.[11]
At least ten armed Houthi hijackers used amilitary helicopter to board the vessel.[12] After seizing the vessel, they brought it to Hodeida.[13][14] OnboardGalaxy 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 toldthe Associated Press in November 2023 that hijackers appeared to have been trained by a professional military, possiblyIran'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 ofGalaxy Leader, as well as a spate of Houthi drone and missile attacks on merchant shipping in theBab-el-Mandeb strait passing into theRed Sea, threatened global shipping routes. This prompted the creation, in December 2023, ofOperation Prosperity Guardian, a multilateral operation of ten nations to protect shipping in the area.[19][20] The effort, which is under the auspices of theCombined Task Force 153, is led by theUnited States Navy, with the participation of theRoyal Navy, Bahrain, Canada,France, Italy,Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain.[20]
Houthis held 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 thewar 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) toGalaxy Leader for tours; some took selfies as rifle-toting Yemenis patrolled the deck,[23][5] and Yemenisocial media influencers danced on board the ship.[24] Pro-Hamasgraffiti was also scrawled on the ship.[5] The Houthis also used the ship as a set for apropagandamusic video (entitled “Axis ofJihad"), in which Houthi poetIssa al-Laith appears on deck and sings "Death to America and hostile Zion/ By God, we shall not be defeated!"[25]
Galaxy Maritime repeatedly called for release of its 25 crew members,[26][27] saying that they "have no connection whatsoever" to theongoing 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 theInternational Maritime Organization (IMO), the United States, the Bahamas, and Japan condemned the hijacking ofGalaxy Leader as well as other Houthi acts that threatenedfreedom of navigation. The countries called for the unconditional release of the vessel's captain and crew.[27] TheU.S. Department of State said that the seizure was "a flagrant violation ofinternational law".[13]
On 22 January 2024, IMO Secretary GeneralArsenio 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 ofGalaxy 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; thePhilippines 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 the release of the ship and hostages relied on the decision-making ofHamas and theAl-Qassam Brigades.[22] A team from theInternational Committee of the Red Cross visitedGalaxy Leader's crew for the first time on 12 May 2024.[30]
On 22 January 2025, during theIsrael–Hamas ceasefire, the Houthis released the hostages to Oman, according toAl-Masirah.[31] AnOmani Royal Air Force jet that entered Yemen earlier that day took off around an hour before the announcement. TheBulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Filipino PresidentBongbong Marcos confirmed the crew's release.[32]
On 16 March 2025, Houthi media reported theUnited States Air Force bombed the command area of the bridge during itsMarch 2025 attacks on the Houthis.[33][34]