Japan confirmed Monday that a cargo ship operated by major Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen was seized in the Red Sea by the Iran-linked Houthi armed group, following an initial report by the Israeli military on Sunday.
“We have received reports that the Bahamas-registered car carrier ship Galaxy Leader, which Nippon Yusen operates, was seized yesterday by a Houthi armed group while traveling south near Yemen,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a news conference Monday. “We strongly condemn such activity.”
Matsuno confirmed that there were no Japanese crew members aboard the ship. The ship operated by Nippon Yusen, better known as NYK Line, had a total of 25 crew, with members hailing from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania.