UK demands immediate release of hijacked car carrier

The UK has called for the immediate release of the car carrier Galaxy Leader seized on Sunday by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The British government said that Iran must “actively restrain” its proxy groups in the Middle East region amid rising tensions and continued fighting between Israel and Hamas.

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Ray Car Carriers, owned by Israel’s Rami Ungar, and the Galaxy Leader are registered in the Isle of Man.

“The United Kingdom condemns the unlawful seizure of MV Galaxy Leader by the Houthis in the Red Sea and we call for the immediate, and unconditional, release of the ship and its crew,” said the foreign ministry in a statement.

“Iran has long provided military and political support to the Houthis. We have made it clear to Iran that it bears responsibility for the actions of its proxies and partners.”

The 5,100-ceu Galaxy Leader (built 2002), operated by Japan’s NYK Group, was sailing from Turkey to India when it was intercepted on Sunday.

The Houthis, which control broad swathes of Yemen including the capital Sanaa after nearly a decade of war, had previously warned they would target Israeli ships because of the fighting in Gaza.

Concerns had been raised that the fighting could spread into a broader regional dispute but fighting has so far been contained.

But Elisabeth Braw, who has charted the rise of state-backed attacks on shipping, said that the seizure by helicopter marked an escalation of the dispute that put shipping in the crosshairs.

Sophisticated attack

“This shows that the Houthis are able to attack at a state level,” said Braw, a senior associate fellow at the European Leadership Network. “It was a really sophisticated attack.

“This shows that Iran and its Houthi partners are willing to target shipping… and it’s more innovative than just looking at the Strait of Hormuz. This is obviously alarming news for shipping.”

The seizure highlighted how some nations were willing to use shipping as a way to target another country despite the impact on the globalised economy, she said.

Maritime lawyer Stephen Askins said the seizure comes amid a recognition following the years of piracy that large sums will be paid to secure the release of ships.

“The use of a helicopter in tactics taken straight from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is a major escalation and is hugely significant to all shipping transiting the Red Sea,” said Askins, a partner at Tatham & Co, in a LinkedIn post.

“The big question now is what will the Houthis want? A demand is unlikely to be financial.”

He said that maritime security companies would need to rewrite their operating procedures as a result of the attack. “But thwarting attacks by state actors is a major escalation and will need military support.”