News

429 days after the crew of the 'Galaxy Leader' was taken hostage by the Houthi terrorists on Nov 19, 2023, for the first time during this 14-month incarceration there was hope that the 25 crew members could be freed imminently in connection with the phase one ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on Jan 19, 2025. A senior Houth told that through Palestinian negotiators, they guaranteed that the ship and its crew will be freed in the coming days. The Houthis said on Jan 19 that as long as the ceasefire remains in place between Israel and Hamas, international merchant ships may now transit the Red Sea. However, Israeli-owned and Israeli-flagged tonnage will remain targets, and the continued attacks on Yemen by British and American military forces could see ships from those countries targeted too.

Due to multiple incidents of sabotage with sea cables and the Russian threat, the Netherlands have sent the Zr.Ms. 'Tromp' from Den Helder to Norway on Jan 4, 2025. It berthed in Haakonsvern on Jan 6. The goal is to monitor safety and keep an eye on suspicious ships to prevent them from doing something. First of all, the ship is used to record suspicious activities at sea as there have been many sabotage actions recently against submarine infrastructure, with the suspicion that Russia is behind it to make life in the Western countries more difficult and to put them under pressure. In order to prove that, it is important that the navy ship is there in time, f.e. when a ship drops anchor and drags it along the seabed, destroying cables or pipes.

Two incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia (one CAT 21 incident and one CAT 32 incident) were reported to the ReCAAP ISC. Both incidents occurred onboard bulk carriers while underway off Pulau Cula in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Straits (SS) on 8 Jan and 9, 2025. The 'Anabela was boarded by four perpetrators, armed with guns, six nautical miles west of Pulau Cula on Jan 8 at 4 a.m. in pos. 1°3.95' N 103° 36.83' E. Nothing was reported stolen.

After Taiwan accused the "Shunxing 39" of destroying a submarine cable, China and the shipping company have now denied the accusations and responsibility for the severed cable off Taiwan. The director of the company Jie Yang Trading Limited, Guo Wenjie, confirmed that the ship had passed the north coast of Taiwan. However, the freighter had nothing to do with the damage to the cable, said Guo, adding that the freighter complied with all regulations. Guo Wenjie did not explain why the ship was off Taiwan for almost a month. The company is registered in Hong Kong, Guo Wenjie is a mainland Chinese.

Two incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia (one CAT 21 incident and one CAT 32 incident) were reported to the ReCAAP ISC. Both incidents occurred onboard bulk carriers while underway off Pulau Cula in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Straits (SS) on 8 Jan and 9, 2025. The 'Trinity Island' was boarded by six perpetrators, armed with knices, 6.4 nautical miles northeast of Pulau Cula on Jan 9 at 5.44 a.m. in pos. 1°8.11' N 45° 81' E. The intruders stole engine spares.