It has been officially confirmed by the Bulgarian authorities that the captain of the hijacked ship “Galaxy Leader” and his first mate are Bulgarians. The vessel was attacked and seized by the Yemeni Houthi rebels.
The ship departed from Istanbul and its destination was India. After crossing the Mediterranean Sea and passing through the Suez Canal, he was attacked in the middle of the Red Sea by the rebels. The attackers took over the ship after descending on the deck from a helicopter. Immediately after that, the radio link goes down.
Two Bulgarians are on board the hijacked ship, one is the captain
According to the latest unconfirmed information, the ship is located in the port of the city of Hodeida in Yemen. It is still not clear whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knows the condition of the Bulgarian sailors Veselinov and Chanev. The department only explained that they are doing everything possible to free the crew. The families of our sailors have already been notified and relatives have been offered assistance. The Bulgarian women on board the ship hijacked by the Houthis are 42 and 39 years old, respectively. “These are the captain of the car carrier ship and the first assistant captain,” explained the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zhivko Kotsev.
A tanker was hijacked in the Red Sea, there are probably Bulgarians on board
The co-captain’s wife told our team about their last phone call. She asked that we keep her identity because she doesn’t have the strength to tell their daughter what happened. “There was no worry in him when we last heard from him on Saturday. They did not expect this attack, it happened suddenly. His phone was last active on Sunday at 1:00 pm,” the wife said. “I am not in a position to look for the authorities, nothing is known. I need to calm down. I’m tired already! I hope something happens. I trust his company. I only know that I don’t want my child to understand,” she added.
We managed to get in touch with the family of the other Bulgarian sailor as well. In the afternoon we met his wife, but she also refused to stand in front of our camera, as she did not want to disturb her relatives and children.
The crew’s families learn of the abduction from Captain Zoltan Sulay. He is the manager of the company that hired the crew. “I know them very well and I am absolutely convinced that they will do well. We are waiting for an hour rather a faster resolution – positive, of course”, said Captain Sulai.
The reasons given by the Houthis for the abduction were “Israel’s crimes in Gaza”. Thus, ships whose owners are connected to Tel Aviv became targets. The attack used a helicopter and satellite data to locate the vessel. “The Yemeni armed forces treated the ship’s crew according to the teachings and values of our Islamic religion,” said Yahya Sarreya, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels.
Meanwhile, Japan stepped in to resolve the hostage crisis in the Red Sea, as the ship was being operated by Tokyo. “Currently, several ministries, including the foreign ministry and the transport ministry, are gathering information and working with the relevant countries,” said Hirokazu Matsuno, secretary of the prime minister’s office.
Japan has demanded that Yemeni rebels release the crew of the hijacked ship
The Bulgarian authorities are also trying to get in touch with the kidnappers. “Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are working to free Bulgarian citizens,” said Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov.
Iran denies involvement in the capture of a ship by the Yemeni Houthis in the Red Sea
According to Arabist Prof. Vladimir Chukov, the inclusion of Japan in the negotiations is essential. “Japan is a country that has an instrument that could interest the Iranian side, although Iran denies any connection with the attack,” commented Chukov.
Filipinos, Mexicans and Ukrainians are also on board.
2023-11-20 17:12:15
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