GALAXY LEADER

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Hijacked vessel targeted by air strike

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) launched a series of extensive airstrikes on Houthi-controlled targets across Yemen overnight between July 6 and 7. The military targeted key Houthi military assets at the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. Among the targets was the 'Galaxy Leader'. The vessel’s 25 crew, including 17 Filipinos, 2 Mexicans, 2 Bulgarians, 3 Ukrainians, and 1 Romanian, were held hostage for over a year before being released on Jan 22. The Houthis had installed a radar system on the 'Galaxy Leader', anchored at Ras Isa. The vessel was being used to monitor maritime activity in international waters and support operational planning for terrorist activities. There has been no immediate information available on casualties or the extent of damage caused by the airstrikes.

Nominations for bravery award

The captain and crew of the 'Galaxy Leader', who were held for more than a year by Houthi terrorists, have been nominated for shipping’s top bravery award. The nomination of Lyubomir Chanev and his crew for the IMO’s Exceptional Bravery at Sea award is part of a list notable for acts of seafarer courage during the Red Sea crisis in 2024. The men from Bulgaria, the Philippines, Ukraine, Mexico and Romania were released in Jan 2025, after the start of a Gaza peace deal briefly reduced tensions in the region and led to a halt in the Houthi campaign. Other nominations on the 60-strong list include the Greece-nominated Captain Dimitrios Flouris and his crew from the tug 'Aigaion Pelagos', who played a key role in the operation to remove crude from the burning suezmax tanker 'Sounion', which was carrying a cargo of Iraqi oil from Basrah when it was attacked on Aug 21, 2024, off the port of Hodeidah. After the crew abandoned the ship, Houthi operatives detonated explosives on the deck of the ship, sparking fears of an environmental catastrophe. The cargo was not removed for another three months. Also nominated was Captain Sharad Sinsunwal and the crew of the Indian warship INS 'Kolkata'. The vessel was involved in the rescue of the surviving crew from the Houthi missile strike against the 'True Confidence', who were plucked from the sea and given medical treatment on the warship. The vessel was also involved in the rescue of 17 crew members who had been held hostage for four months fromthe 'Ruen', which had been hijacked by Somali pirates. The 'Kolkata' cornered theship in a 40-hour operation and coerced all 35 pirates into surrendering in March 2024. The nominations will now be scrutinised by an assessment panel chaired by IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez before being submitted to a panel of judges. The winners will be announced later this year.

Houthis claimed that US targeted command post of hijacked ship with airstrikes

US aircraft targeted with two airstrikes the command post of the 'Galaxy Leader', the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah television channel reported on March 16. The Houthis provided no further details on the attack, and there has been no official statement from the US or Israel regarding the incident. The 25 crew members were held hostage for over a year before being released this January with mediation from Oman. The Houthis warned Israel on March 7 to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip within four days or face renewed maritime operations against Israeli-linked vessels, when Israel blocked all aid into Gaza on March 2.