gCaptain: The Yemenis have turned global shipping upside down, and after a year of Western failure, crisis roots must be addressed

Exclusive – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

Mike Schuler, the writer and editor for the specialized maritime news website gCaptain, covering topics related to maritime shipping, maritime security, and global trade, said that Yemenis have turned global shipping upside down since November 19, 2023, when they seized the car carrier Galaxy Leader, which was bound for India because it was Israeli.

In an article on the gCaptain website, and translated by “Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni,” Schuler mentioned, “While the financial toll is substantial, due to reroute shipping around the Cape of Good Hope, which causes more costs, prolonged transit times, and risks, and gas emissions, the human cost is equally devastating.

The crew of the Galaxy Leader remains in captivity, with little to no contact with their families. Furthermore, Houthi attacks have claimed four seafarers’ lives, seriously injured two, sunk two ships, and damaged countless vessels.

The website quoted Guy Platten, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, as saying, “It seems incredible that a year has passed, and the crew of the Galaxy Leader are still being held hostage.”

The report stated, “Despite concerted international efforts—such as the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-UK air campaign Operation Poseidon Archer, and the EU’s Operation ASPIDES—the Houthis’ use of drone technology and advanced missiles has made mitigation efforts extraordinarily difficult.”

“As the crisis enters its second year, the need to find a sustainable solution has become more urgent than ever,” the report’s author highlighted. “The Galaxy Leader hijacking has become a symbol of the fragile balance between geopolitics and commerce in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”

He concluded his article by stressing that “the maritime industry and the international community must intensify efforts to protect crews, secure maritime lanes, and address the root causes of this crisis,” referring to stopping the Israeli aggression on Gaza and Lebanon, withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, and lifting the blockade on it in order for Sana’a to fulfill its promise to lift the ban on Israeli navigation through the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean.

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