HODEIDAH has some way to go before its reputation as a desirable holiday destination matches that of Dubai. But the town does boast a bizarre new tourist attraction.

Car carrier Galaxy Leader (IMO: 9237307) — hijacked by Yemen’s Houthi insurgents exactly a year ago next Tuesday — has been alongside at the port for almost a year and is currently available for the perusal of curious sightseers.

The ship has been extensively redecorated with pro-Islamist graffiti, which must make a dramatic backdrop for those de rigueur selfies.

It has also featured in publicity stunt videos, and last month hosted a religious celebration, with local television broadcasting pictures of clearly terrified seafarer hostages forced to watch a display of traditional Yemeni knife dancing by way of entertainment.

Galaxy Leader is enduring this fate because it was in the wrong place at the wrong time, transiting the Red Sea at exactly the point at which the Houthis decided to mount a display of solidarity for the Hamas military campaign in Gaza.

That it is owned by UK-registered company Ray Car Carriers, which is in turn partly owned by two Israeli nationals, was enough to make it a target.

The presumption is that the ship had war risk cover in place and will now be declared a constructive total loss on grounds of deprivation of use for 12 months.

The hull is worth more than $40m and there have been reports that it was insured for as much as $65m. But marine insurance is there to pay out on open-and-shut legitimate claims such as this and will do so without the slightest quibble.

Of far greater concern ethically is the wellbeing of the crew, thought to number 17 Filipinos, three Ukrainians, two Bulgarians, two Mexicans and a Romanian.

As far as can be ascertained, the kidnapped mariners have been cooped up on Galaxy Leader ever since it was captured.

They are allowed some degree of contact with their families and are reportedly treated “as well as can be expected in the circumstances”.

The trouble is, that formulation is one of hospital English’s best-known ambiguous circumlocutions and could mean just about anything in these circumstances.

Given their nationalities, most of the seafarers will be either Catholic or Orthodox Christians, at least culturally if not by practice.

Footage suggests that they have been coerced into wearing scarves bearing Muslim slogans, by way of an organised humiliation. That alone is disturbing.

Moreover, concerns for their health are mounting. A number of them have reportedly contracted malaria and other physical illnesses, and a year of enforced confinement in cramped quarters can only have been injurious to their mental state.

The Houthis run a sophisticated media operation and Lloyd’s List journalists are on the mailing list for their press releases. They are also known to be both image conscious and PR savvy.

If anyone from their comms team is reading this, we would echo the call of dozens of industry organisations — including the International Maritime Organization, BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping and the World Shipping Council — and urge the unconditional immediate release of these prisoners, who are being detained in flagrant breach of international law.

This would be a magnanimous gesture to mark the impending anniversary, and after all, the ship itself constitutes sufficient collateral to press Houthi demands.

Alas, an appeal from this website is unlikely to have much impact where the best efforts of diplomats from the seafarers’ home countries have so far been to no avail.

The seizure of Galaxy Leader seems to have been a one-off for propaganda purposes. It is notable that no further ships have been taken, even as hundreds have been subjected to missile and drone attacks, with several total losses and a number of deaths.

There seems little prospect of an end to the Houthi onslaught on merchant tonnage prior to a settlement of the war in Gaza.

From a shipping perspective, that would be desirable on a number of fronts. Not least, it would permit a resumption of transits through the Red Sea, the key approach to the Suez Canal.

But an end to the fighting before it sparks wider conflagration in the Middle East is in the wider interests of all the people of the region and the international community as well.

We have no specialist insight into how this might be brought about, although we note speculation that Israel’s hardline prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be inclined to reach a deal as a present for Donald Trump, a politician with whom he is ideologically aligned.

But freedom for the crew of Galaxy Leader need not wait until the expiry of broader hostilities. The time for that to happen is now.