Romanian citizen reportedly among crew of ship captured by Houthi militias

A Romanian citizen is reported to be among the crew members of the ship Galaxy Leader, flying the Bahamian flag, which was sailing in the Red Sea and was captured by Houthi militias, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) cited by News.ro.

"On November 19, the ship Galaxy Leader, flying the Bahamian flag, sailing in the Red Sea, was captured by Houthi militias and taken near the coast of Yemen, and from the preliminary information, there might be a Romanian citizen among the crew members. The Interinstitutional Crisis Cell has been activated at the order of the minister of foreign affairs, and standard procedures for such cases involving Romanian citizens have been initiated," a ministry press release said.

Romanian authorities are in close connection with other international partners and continue to monitor the situation closely and take steps to resolve it, the institution specified. 

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the seizure of the ship was in response to the “heinous acts against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank,” according to Al Jazeera. In response, Israel described the incident as an "Iranian act of terrorism" with consequences for international maritime security, as reported by Reuters.

The Japanese company Nippon Yusen, also known as NYK, had leased the ship in question. The company stated that it has set up a working group to gather more information, including the safety of the 25 crew members, who come from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, and Mexico. The ship, a car carrier, was heading to India from Europe without cargo, according to a spokesperson.

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(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Octav Ganea)