Two merchant ships that veered off course in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are linked to the same shipping company whose vessel was seized by the Houthis in Yemen, Reuters reported, citing shipping data in the area and a British shipping company. security.
Israel said yesterday that the Houthis had seized a cargo ship owned by a British company and chartered by a Japanese company in the southern Red Sea, calling the incident an “Iranian act of terrorism” with implications for international maritime security.
The Houthis, who are allies of Tehran, confirmed they had captured a ship in the area but said it belonged to Israel.
A Japanese government spokesman confirmed today that the Galaxy Leader ship had been captured, adding that Japan had appealed to the Houthis and sought help from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iranian authorities to secure the swift release of the vessel. vessel and its crew.
Tonight, the ship’s owning company released a statement regarding the seizure of the ship.
Two other ships, which, according to a British maritime security firm, are managed by the Ray Carr Carriers company, deviated from their course yesterday. In response to an inquiry about the two diverted vessels, a company spokesman said it could not comment on “political matters”. The ships are Hermes Leader and Glovis Star, according to Reuters.
“Ray Car Carriers” is the world’s largest car leasing company, which is controlled by Israeli businessman Rami Ungar, according to the specialized publication “Marine Log” (marinelog.com).
The US Maritime Administration said the Galaxy Leader was hijacked about 80km west of the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, adding that vessels should “exercise caution when passing through this area”, Reuters reported.
“Yesterday we witnessed a new record – for the first time we saw an official announcement by pirates about the seizure of a ship in the high seas, which in my opinion is a serious threat to international law and order,” Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog said today, commenting on the case of ” Galaxy Leader”.
