Galaxy Leader is owned by a company registered under Isle of Man-headquartered Ray Car Carriers, which is a unit of Tel Aviv-incorporated Ray Shipping, according to LSEG data.
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Ray Car Carriers and Ray Shipping could not be immediately reached for comment outside business hours.
A spokesperson for Japan’s Nippon Yusen, also known as NYK, said it was gathering further information and could not immediately confirm the nationality or size of the crew. Japan’s Nikkei newspaper said there were 22 crew on board, including Bulgarians and Filipinos.
Last week, Houthi leadership said their forces would make further attacks on Israel and they could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
The US was monitoring the situation, a defence official said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said a ship – which it did not name – had been seized. There were no Israelis aboard and Israel was not involved in its ownership or operation, his office said.
“This is another Iranian act of terrorism that represents an escalation in Iran’s belligerence against the citizens of the free world, with concomitant international ramifications vis-à-vis the security of global shipping routes,” his office said.
Earlier on Sunday the Houthis said all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies, or carrying the Israeli flag, could be targeted.
Additional reporting by Associated Press