The Houthis said over the weekend they would stop attacking transiting vessels as long as the cease-fire holds. But big-box ship operators said it would take some time before secu

Yemen's Houthi rebels have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

The Iranian-backed rebel group in Yemen had earlier said they would scale back attacks given the cease-fire in the conflict in Gaza.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized their

The United States and Japan called on Yemen's Iran-backed rebel group Houthis to cease its attacks in the Red Sea following the release of the detained MV Galaxy Leader crew on January 22.

The US branded the Houthi release of the Galaxy Leader crew as insufficient and demanded a permanent end to the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The State Department welcomed the release of the 25-strong crew from the 5,100-ceu car carrier (built 2002) but said that the ship remained “stolen property” of the rebel group.

The crew of the ship — which includes mariners from at least five countries — had been held captive by Houthis in Yemen since November 2023.

The 25 crew members — who include mariners from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine ... maritime assaults that have plagued the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for months.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized the Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday.

Supply chains have had to deal with higher shipping costs, product delivery delays, and increased carbon emissions as a result of this diversion. The Gaza ceasefire gave some hope that the disruption would finally end. But shipping lines will not hurry back to the region until long-term security is guaranteed.

A fire aboard the Hong Kong-flagged ASL Bauhinia on Tuesday was not linked to Houthi attacks, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center said on Wednesday.

Despite a ceasefire in Gaza and assurances from Yemen's Houthi rebels to scale back attacks on international vessels in the Red Sea, major shipping companies remain hesitant to resume using the Suez Canal due to ongoing security concerns.