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 said they have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their campaign in the Red Sea corridor. The rebels said they released the sailors after mediation by Oman.

The Iranian-backed rebel group in Yemen made the announcement after the Houthis 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 the Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday.

Liner operators led by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company will continue to avoid the Red Sea until it is safe. That stance is reflected in liner schedules that suggest the major carriers expect to continue to use the Cape of Good Hope routes, as they have since late December 2023, for much of the remainder of 2025.

Houthi rebels in Yemen have released the crew of the vessel Galaxy Leader, which was seized in November 2023. The release follows mediation by Oman. The vessel was targeted over alleged Israeli links amid a broader Houthi campaign in the Red Sea.

The crew, who are nationals of the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico, were handed over to Oman, according to Galaxy Maritime.