State Department: Galaxy Leader remains stolen property

While some in shipping see the release of the crew of the hijacked car carrier Galaxy Leader as a hopeful sign that the situation in the Red Sea may return to normal, realists are more skeptical — and the U.S. Department of State warned yesterday that “we must not be distracted by this insufficient action.”

“Today, we welcome the long-overdue release of 25 crew members of the MV Galaxy Leader, hailing from Bulgaria, Mexico, the Philippines, Romania, and Ukraine,” said a statement from the State Department yesterday. “The United States is deeply grateful to the Sultanate of Oman for its essential and timely efforts to secure the release of the crew.

“The Houthis had unlawfully detained the crew since violently seizing their vessel over a year ago. The Houthis have still not released the MV Galaxy Leader itself, which is stolen property. Houthi attacks have endangered the lives of seafarers, hindered the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance, and harmed economies across the region.

“We must not be distracted by this insufficient action by the Houthis. Within Yemen, the Houthis continue to round up and detain hundreds of local staff members of the UN, NGOs, and diplomatic missions under abysmal conditions, including dozens of current and former Yemeni staff of the United States government unlawfully held based on false accusations. The Houthis have also stated that they will continue their unlawful attacks in the Red Sea against certain vessels associated with Israel. The Houthis must permanently cease all attacks in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways without exception and immediately release all of the hundreds of detainees.”

The statement by the Department of State came one day after President Donald J. Trump took action to re-designate the Houthis (Ansar Allah) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization