Hijacked Car Carrier Becomes a Tourist Attraction for Houthi Influencers
It used to be unusual for hijackers to broadcast live from aboard a captured ship, but in the age of social media, Yemen's Houthi rebels have decided to set a new trend. A steady stream of video content from the seized car carrier Galaxy Leader has been popping up on social media, and it appears to show that the militant group is welcoming guests and having a good time - though whether the crew feels the same way is another matter, as they and their ship are being held hostage.
Groups of Houthi youths and social media influencers have been visiting Galaxy Leader as a photo-shoot opportunity. One group recently filmed themselves dancing in victory on the top deck, waving Yemeni flags and chanting. Another offered the narcotic qat (a natural product with amphetamine-like effects) to a crewmember in the engineering control room, toured the vessel's car decks, and smoked a hookah.
The ship has become something of a tourist attraction, drawing boaters who want to examine the ship and take photos. In one remarkable video, a group of new guests attempted to climb the pilot ladder en masse, with at least six people ascending and descending at once (without lifejackets).
There were so many guests aboard Galaxy Leader on Monday that the crowd on the top deck could be discerned from space, journalist Christian Triebert noted, drawing on high-quality satellite imagery provided by Maxar.
Galaxy Leader was forcibly hijacked by a helicopter-borne Houthi assault team on November 19. The ship is operated by Isle of Man-based Ray Car Carriers, a firm with ownership ties to an Israeli shipping magnate. Houthi leaders have promised to target Israel-linked shipping in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza.
17 members of the Galaxy Leader's crew are Filipino, and the remaining eight are Bulgarian, Romanian, Ukrainian and Mexican citizens. There are no Israeli nationals aboard, according to the Israeli government. Houthi representatives have made assurances that the seafarers will not be harmed.
Carrier USS Eisenhower Enters Persian Gulf
On Sunday, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group transited through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Persian Gulf, sending a clear message to Iran about American intentions to defend maritime security.
"While in the Arabian Gulf, the IKECSG are patrolling to ensure freedom of navigation in key international waterways while supporting CENTCOM requirements throughout the region," said Central Command in a statement.
The carrier's transit through this maritime flashpoint follows shortly after news of attacks on two Israeli-linked vessels, the boxship CMA CGM Symi and the product tanker Central Park.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and her escorts were first dispatched to the Eastern Mediterranean and were expected to relieve USS Gerald R. Ford. However, as Israel's campaign against Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas continued in Gaza, the Pentagon extended the Ford Carrier Strike Group's deployment.
Ford remains on station in the Eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has previously used rockets and missiles to attack Israel during periods of heightened tension. During the current period of fighting, Hezbollah has not joined the conflict at full scale, though border clashes have occurred.
While Ford remained on station, Eisenhower headed south through the Suez Canal on November 4 (top). She transited the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb and headed onwards to the Arabian Sea, where she could provide deterrence against further Iranian involvement in the conflict.
According to USNI, the decision to send Eisenhower through the closely-watched Strait of Hormuz marks a break from recent policy. During the long years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. maintained two carriers in the Persian Gulf to provide air support and deterrence. However, the Navy has not had any carrier presence there since 2021, when Nimitz exited for the last time.
Report: Suicide Drone Hits Container Ship in Indian Ocean
A container ship owned by a prominent Israeli-owned shipping company has been attacked by an Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, an American defense official has confirmed to AP News.
A "suicide" Shahed-136 attack drone struck the 15,000-TEU CMA CGM Symi on Friday, the official said. The ship sustained damage but the crew were unharmed, the official said.
The Shahed-136 is an Iranian mass-produced suicide drone, commonly used by Iran's proxies in the Middle East. It is also employed by Russia, which has purchased Shaheds in quantity for use against civilian infrastructure and military targets in Ukraine.
The official suggested that the intelligence on Friday's strike points to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has carried out multiple attacks on ships linked to Iran's geopolitical opponents.
Though CMA CGM Symi has the name of a French shipping line on the hull, the vessel itself is owned by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS). EPS is owned by Idan Ofer, a second-generation member of the shipping dynasty started by his father Sammy Ofer in 1950.
Idan Ofer's brother Eyal Ofer is the owner of Zodiac Group, and vessels owned by both men's holding companies have been attacked by Iran-linked groups previously. A Zodiac-owned tanker was boarded and captured by unidentified assailants in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.
Last week, Houthi rebels boarded and seized the PCTC Galaxy Leader, operated by Isle of Man-based Ray Car Carriers. The firm is owned by Israeli shipowner Abraham “Rami” Ungar, according to corporate records disclosed in the Paradise Papers leak. Houthi leaders have promised to target Israel-linked shipping in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli military operation in Gaza.
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