Japan denounces the theft of a cargo ship in the Red Sea.

Japan denounces the theft of a cargo ship in the Red Sea.
On Monday, Japan denounced the seizure of a cargo ship operated by Japanese nationals in the southern Red Sea and declared that it is making every effort to secure the ship’s and its crew members’ release.

“The Japanese government vehemently denounces this kind of behaviour,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno informed reporters.

There are concerns that the Israel-Hamas conflict is escalating regional tensions in the region as a result of the Houthi rebels in Yemen seizing a cargo ship with ties to Israel and holding its crew captive on Sunday. The rebel organization, with support from Iran declared that it would keep pursuing Israeli-affiliated ships.

The crew of the Bahamas-flagged ship Galaxy Leader, which was run by Japan’s NYK Line and included people from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Mexico, and probably Romania, did not include any Israelis. Public shipping databases linked the ship’s owners to Abraham Ungar, one of Israel’s wealthiest men, through his founding of Ray Car Carriers.

Ungar acknowledged the event to The Associated Press, but he was waiting on further information before he could comment. In 2021, a ship connected to him exploded in the Gulf of Oman. Iran was initially held responsible by Israeli media.

According to Matsuno, in order to secure the ship’s and her crew’s release, Japan is in talks with the Houthi rebels, speaking with Israel, and working with the governments of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iran.

The Galaxy Leader was reportedly taken prisoner while sailing towards India, according to NYK Line. The ship was chartered by NYK from Galaxy Maritime Ltd., its British owner.
According to NYK, the ship was empty of cargo when it was taken over. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations of the British military states that it was transported to the port city of Hodeida in Yemen.