Английская Википедия:Galaxy Leader
Шаблон:Use mdy dates Шаблон:Short description
Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship careerШаблон:Infobox ship characteristicsGalaxy Leader is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier built in 2002 at Stocznia Gdynia in Gdynia, Poland. It is owned by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen and Ray Shipping, the latter a company partly[1] owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar.[2][3]
In November 2023, the ship was hijacked by Houthis, who seized the ship and took its 25 crew members hostage.
Technical specifications
The vehicle carrier is powered by a Sulzer 7-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine of type 7RTA-62U with a power of Шаблон:Cvt. The engine drives a propeller. Three generators, powered by two MAN 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 type MAN D 2866. The ship is equipped with an electrically driven bow thruster. The 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 4,500 Car Equivalent Units.
Construction and career
The ship, assigned yard number 8213/1, was constructed at the Stocznia Gdynia shipyard in Gdynia, Poland, in 2002. Keel laying took place on November 5, 2001, and the launch occurred on May 18, 2002. The ship was completed on June 26, 2002. It is one of two identical ships; the sister ship is the Global Leader. Both ships are managed by STAMCO Shipmanagement in Piraeus, Greece.[4]
Hijacking in 2023
On November 19, 2023, the Galaxy Leader was in ballast on a journey from Körfez, Turkey to Pipavav, India, when it was hijacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea near the Yemeni port city of Hodeida.[5][6][7] The ship's registered owner is Galaxy Maritime Ltd., a company registered in the Isle of Man, and its flag state is the Bahamas; at the time of its seizure, the ship was chartered by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yūsen K.K.[7][8] Galaxy Maritime Ltd. is owned by Ray Car Carriers, co-owned by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar.[8]
At least ten armed Houthi hijackers used a military helicopter to board the vessel.[9] After seizing the vessel, they brought it to Hodeida.[10][11] Onboard the Galaxy 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.[11][10] The maritime risk management firm Ambrey also described the hijacking as sophisticated and bearing the hallmarks of an Iranian-style operation.[12] The Houthis videorecorded their attack and released the footage the next day,[13][14] using the attack as propaganda.[14]
An American defense official told the Associated Press in November 2023 that hijackers appeared to have been trained by a professional military, possibly Iran's.[12] 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.[15] The Iranian government denied involvement.[15][12]
The Houthis kept the 25 crew members hostage,[16] and turned the ship into a tourist attraction.[17] After the ship was seized and brought to Hodeidah, Yemeni visitors were brought (via motor boat) to the Galaxy Leader for tours; some took selfies as rifle-toting Yemenis patrolled the deck,[17][8] and Yemeni social media influencers danced on board the ship.[18] Pro-Hamas graffiti was also scrawled on the ship.[8]
The whereabouts of the hostages are not publicly known.[17] Galaxy Maritime called for the release of its 25 crew members, saying that they "have no connection whatsoever" to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, and that "Nothing can be achieved by their further detention."[19] 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".[19] At an assembly of the International Maritime Organization, the United States, the Bahamas, and Japan, condemned the hijacking of the Galaxy Leader and the Houthi acts that threatened freedom of navigation; the countries called for the unconditional release of the vessel's captain and crew.[19] The U.S. Department of State said that the seizure was "a flagrant violation of international law".[10]
The hijacking of the Galaxy Leader, as well as a spate of Houthi drone and missile attacks on merchant shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait passing into the Red Sea, threatened global shipping routes. This prompted the creation, in December 2023, of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multilateral operation of ten nations to protect shipping in the area.[20][21] The effort, which is under the auspices of the Combined Task Force 153, is led by the United States Navy, with the participation of the Royal Navy, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain.[21]
2024
On 22 January 2024, with the hostage situation still ongoing, Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization, gave an opening address to the 10th Session of the IMO Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Construction (SDC), drawing attention to the situation of the crew of the Galaxy Leader and calling for the immediate release of the ship and its crew.[22][23]
See also
References
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ Шаблон:Citation
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ 7,0 7,1 Шаблон:Citation
- ↑ 8,0 8,1 8,2 8,3 Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ Christiaan Triebert and David Botti, Video Shows Yemen’s Houthi Militia Hijacking Ship in the Red Sea, New York Times (November 11, 2023).
- ↑ 10,0 10,1 10,2 Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ 11,0 11,1 Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ 12,0 12,1 12,2 Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ Video shows moment Houthi rebels storm cargo ship in the Red Sea, CNN (November 21, 2023).
- ↑ 14,0 14,1 Yemen's Houthis publish footage of Galaxy Leader hijacking, Jewish News Syndicate (November 20, 2023).
- ↑ 15,0 15,1 Iran denies helping Houthis plan attacks on Israel-linked ships, Reuters (December 23, 2023).
- ↑ Isabel Debre & Jon Gambrell, Yemen's Houthi rebels hijack an Israeli-linked ship in the Red Sea and take 25 crew members hostage Associated Press (November 20, 2023).
- ↑ 17,0 17,1 17,2 Shayma Bakht & Larisa Brown, I visited the hijacked Red Sea ship that's now a tourist trap, The Times (December 24, 2023).
- ↑ Yemeni social media influencers dance on Galaxy Leader cargo ship hijacked by Houthi rebels in Red Sea, Sky News (November 28, 2023).
- ↑ 19,0 19,1 19,2 Шаблон:Cite news
- ↑ US-led coalition to create safe corridor in Red Sea as ship diversions mount, Financial Times (December 21, 2023)
- ↑ 21,0 21,1 WSC says Operation Prosperity Guardian to aid maritime security amid Red Sea attacks, S&P Global (December 19, 2023).
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite web
