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.
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GH PATHFINDER
On June 19, 2025, at 5.10 p.m. the 'GH Pathfinder' was boarded by 12 perpetrators at the Kakinada Anchorage, where it was anchored in pos. 17° 0.3' N 082° 19.51' E. No one was injured, and nothing was reported stolen.
Odessa
A Russian Iskander missile hit the Odesa port area on July 3, 2025, when dockworkers were unloading metal from a São Tomé and Príncipe-registered cargo ship, shortly after an air-raid warning was issued in Odesa at 12:47 p.m. Minutes later, the Ukrainian Air Force reported a Russian aerial asset approaching the city. Two people, one dock worker and a truck driver, were killed in the attack with the cluster ballistic missile, which is prohibited, Six people, including port employees and two Syrian crew members of the ship, were injuried. Vessel tracking were showing no ships in the Odesa region, but this is not unusual, as vessels are instructed to turn off their AIS when sailing to the Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhnyy. Port infrastructure, such as gantry cranes, warehouses, and equipment as well as containers and trucks were damaged. Ukrainian officials have stated that the attack is not an isolated incident but a part of a campaign to separate Ukraine from the rest of the world by destroying its export infrastructure. These attacks are threatening global food security and have urgently called for an international response. On March 11, 2025, the Barbados-flagged bulk carrier 'MJ Pinar' was struck while loading wheat, resulting in the deaths of four crew members and injuring to others . On March 1, 2025, the Panama-flagged container m/v 'MSC Levante F' suffereed damage from a missile strike, injuring two port workers. The cumulative effect of the Russian attacks has been the destruction of nearly 400 units of port infrastructure and over 30 vessels. Report swith photo:s https://maritime-executive.com/article/dockworkers-killed-and-crew-injured-as-russian-missile-strikes-odesa-port https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/07/03/russian-missile-strike-on-odesa-kills-two-and-injures-six-including-syrian-nationals https://odessa-journal.com/russian-iskander-missile-hits-port-infrastructure-in-odessa-2-killed-6-injured
KIMBERLY
The 35-year-old Nigerian Itoruboemi L,, who was among the hijackers the 'FWN Rapide' (IMO: 9320520), now sailing as 'Lady Luciana', in 2018 has been sentenced again by the court in Rotterdam. This time he was sentenced to three years in prison for the hijacking of the 'BBC Caribbean', now sailing as 'Kimberly', in Feb 2017, In May 2025, he appeared at the court in Rotterdam again. He was among the armed pirates who came on board and took the eight crew members as hostages. The crew was taken to the mainland of Nigeria in a boat, where they were held for weeks. The shipping company eventually paid a ransom, after which the crew was released. Itoruboemi L. was given a prison sentence of three years for the case. This sentence was in addition to an eight -year prison sentence that the Nigerian was already sentenced to in Rotterdam in 2022 for the hijacking of the 'FWN Rapide', when 11 of the 14 crew members were taken hostage and held in various hiding places in the jungle of Nigeria. The court noted that Itoruboemi L. probably had a poor and difficult life in Nigeria According to his lawyer, Itoruboemi L. was under pressure at the time of the hijacking of the 'BBC Caribbean' There were financial problems. He was said to have only played a supporting role in the negotiations for the ransom, not the attack and hostage-taking. Yet the evidence told a different story. His DNA was found on a cigarette butt on board the German ship. He also wore a striking dolphin necklace during the hostage-taking, which the crew members later remembered well.
TULIP
On June 27, 2025, at 12.32 a.m., the 'Tulip' was boarded by four perpetrators, armed with gun like objects, in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme, about 3.9 nautical miles off Pulau Cula, Indonesia in pos. 1° 5.7' N 103° 43.85' E. The intruders stole engine spares, no crew member was reported injured.