One of the outcomes of the ceasefire that began in Gaza on 19 January 2025 between Hamas and Israel is the release in Yemen of the crew of the car carrier Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the Houthis on 19 November 2023. On 23 January 2025, the Houthis handed over the 23 seafarers—hailing from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and Mexico—to the Omani authorities, who had acted as mediators in recent months. However, the ship itself remains under Yemeni control.
The Galaxy Leader was captured during a military helicopter assault (photo), during which the crew was detained and the ship directed to the port of Hodeidah, Yemen. The seizure was part of a broader campaign of attacks aimed at disrupting Red Sea shipping lanes in solidarity with Hamas during its conflict with Israel. During their imprisonment, the crew faced challenging conditions, including reports of malaria cases among them. Nonetheless, visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed that the sailors had limited but ongoing contact with their families and were treated with dignity.
The crew’s release could be interpreted as a gesture by the Houthis to signal a willingness to de-escalate tensions in the Red Sea. Following the initiation of the truce, the Yemeni group announced it would refrain from attacking ships passing near their coasts, except for vessels fully owned or flagged by Israel. They warned, however, that attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea would resume should the agreement collapse.
Major shipping companies remain cautious. Maersk, MSC, and Hapag-Lloyd have indicated that they do not foresee an immediate resumption of regular operations through the Suez Canal. Xeneta, a maritime analytics firm, predicts a gradual transition, beginning with the deployment of smaller vessels, under 10,000 TEU, to test the safety of the route, followed by larger ships if conditions prove stable.
This strategy appears to align with the approach taken by the French shipping giant CMA CGM. According to VesselFinder, the CMA CGM Columba, an 11,400 TEU container ship, departed the Egyptian port of Port Said at 2:00 UTC on 23 January and is currently navigating south through the Suez Canal en route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. However, the company has stated that it is not yet prepared to resume regular navigation in the region.
