TWENTY-NINE shipping industry organisations are calling for the release of the crew of Galaxy Leader.
The organisations issued a joint statement on 19 February, marking three months since Yemen’s Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthis) hijacked the ro-ro vessel and its crew in the Red Sea.
BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, International Association of Ports and Harbors, International Transport Workers’ Federation and World Shipping Council are among a slew of associations and maritime charities calling for the militia to release the crew.
“The 25 seafarers who make up the crew of the Galaxy Leader are innocent victims of the ongoing aggression against world shipping, and their plight is a major concern as the merchant shipping community continues to come under attack,” they said.
“All efforts must be made by international organisations and States to secure the release of the seafarers.
“It is abhorrent that seafarers were seized by military forces and that they have been kept from their families and loved ones for too long.
“All 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader must be released now.”
The Galaxy Leader hijacking on 19 November was the first of many attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
