The situation in the Red Sea: What is happening to the sailors on the seized ships?

The Bulgarian sailors on board the seized "Galaxy Leader" ship are well, journalist Alexander Todorov from "Maritime.bg" told Bulgarian National Television's programme "The Day Begins" on January 15. Todorov said the Houthi spokesman did not rule out the possibility that the Bulgarians could be released. "The Galaxy Leader, with a Bulgarian captain and first mate, was hijacked on November 19, following a series of attacks in the Red Sea that caused the US and UK to launch air strikes against Yemen on Friday.

Maritime.bg journalist Alexander Todorov told BNT that he has been in contact with the Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah since late November, a week after the Galaxy Leader was hijacked by the Houthis. He said the vessel, which had two Bulgarians on board, is still at the Hodeida port. A few days ago, he again contacted a Houthi spokesman, who said that the rebels had no problem with Bulgaria or any other country not involved in the war between Israel and Hamas.

"We have no problem with Bulgaria. Maybe we will look at this issue in the coming days if there is a possibility to go back to our country, but we are certainly trying and making efforts to end the problem in Gaza completely and have them and the ship leave," said Nasreddin Amer, the Houthis' deputy information secretary.

Todorov was assured that the Bulgarian sailors were in good health and that they had recently been able to speak to their relatives again. Captain Lyubomir Chanev, 38, and first mate Danail Vesselinov, 39, were among those on board the Galaxy Leader, ship which was hijacked on November 19. Stranded off the coast of Hodeida, the cargo ship was turned into a tourist attraction by the Houthis.

"After we conveyed a call from the families for the release of the sailors, Amer said that this issue will in all likelihood be dealt with at the highest level in the Ansar Allah movement as the Houthis understand that the sailors have nothing to do with what is happening in Gaza, which he said is genocide! Almer also said that the blockade of the Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb, which was imposed by them on ships linked to Israel, is still in place despite the air strikes," said Alexander Todorov, a journalist with Maritime.bg.

This morning, the US army announced that a missile fired by the Houthis at the destroyer USS Laboon was downed. There were no injuries in the incident. Earlier, Washington rejected Yemeni claims that new strikes were carried out on Sunday night. In the early hours of January 12, US and British aircraft carried out air strikes against rebel positions in Yemen. Targets were hit in several locations, including in the capital Sana'a and the port city of Hodeidah.

The White House has said it does not want war with Yemen but would not hesitate to take further action in response to the attacks in the Red Sea. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron described the strikes as "necessary" and added that London was ready to continue the operation in the region if British ships were attacked. At least 27 foreign ships have been attacked by the Houthis since November 19.

British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, said that taking military action was the last resort in response to the Houthi attacks. He explained that the strikes carried out have been limited in perimeter and against clearly selected points, but they have also been absolutely necessary.

The Red Sea shipping crisis has also had an impact on the global economy - the forced diversion of merchant ships from their usual route has led to a rise in the price of many goods. Two of the carmakers have announced that they are pausing some production and a major British grocery chain has not ruled out a significant rise in the price of some of its goods.

Who are the Bulgarian sailors on the hijacked ship in the Red Sea?