Efforts to Persuade Yemen's Houthis to Release Crew of Seized Ship Fail

The Philippines has been working with other governments to secure the release of the Filipino seafarers held hostage aboard the Galaxy Leader vessel, but Yemeni Houthis appear steadfast in their demand to allow this only once the war in Gaza ends, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday, March 12. "We're still working with friendly governments to see if they could be released, but the Houthis are consistent in their statement that it would need an end to the war in Gaza before they will release the ship or the seafarers," Philippines' Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in a press briefing on Tuesday. The Houthis seized the ship in November last year. The overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) remain on board in Al Hudaydah, off the coast of Yemen. They are "safe" and able to contact their families, according to De Vega

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The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) has initiated a program in Al Mahrah province to assist families coping with the loss of a breadwinner. The program will train 50 families in different skills such as electrical work, mobile repair, crafting incense, perfumes, and sweets, hairdressing, accessory making, henna art, sewing, and embroidery. This project aims to empower orphaned families with sustainable means of earning income. Alongside professional skills training, SPA reported that it provides livelihood, education, and health support. The objective is to enable 440 families to achieve self-sufficiency and facilitate school attendance for 1,300 orphans.

Yemen's Houthis have targeted a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea with missiles, producing an explosion near the vessel but causing no damage, authorities said. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said that the attack caused no injury or death. The UKMTO said the vessel is called Pinocchio and is operated by a Singaporean firm. The Houthis used two anti-ship ballistic missiles in the attack, the U.S. military's Central Command said. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack early Tuesday in a prerecorded statement, claiming the Pinocchio was an American ship. The Houthi attacks have targeted vessels since November, vowing that their attacks will continue as long as the Israeli war on Gaza does not stop.

Russia said a group of its warships had arrived in Iran to take part in drills with Iran and China in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The joint exercises, called "Maritime Security Belt - 2024", will involve warships and aviation, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement quoted by state media on Monday. "The practical part of the exercise will take place in the waters of the Gulf of Oman of the Arabian Sea," the ministry said. "The main purpose of the maneuvers is to work out the safety of maritime economic activity."