European Union Naval Force Rescues Crew from Pirated Tanker
A European Union naval force successfully reached a Malta-flagged tanker on Friday that had been attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The incident raised renewed concerns about piracy in the region, as all 24 mariners aboard the vessel were found safe.
The Hellas Aphrodite, which was carrying a cargo of petrol from India to South Africa, was seized during an attack that occurred on Thursday. The EU’s anti-piracy coalition, Operation Atalanta, reported that the Spanish frigate ESPS Victoria came alongside the vessel, allowing special forces to board and release the crew members who had locked themselves inside the ship’s citadel.
Operation Atalanta stated that “an early show of force” by the Victoria encouraged the pirates to flee the vessel, although no further details were provided. The operation involved a helicopter, a drone, and another aircraft working in coordination with the frigate.
“The threat assessment in the area surrounding the incident remains critical,” Operation Atalanta warned. The organization also mentioned that the mother ship and the pirates remained in the area, with a coordinated joint operation ongoing to intercept the dhow used in the attack.
According to the private security firm Diaplous Group, the Victoria would remain alongside the Hellas Aphrodite until it could restart its engines and sail away. During the attack, pirates fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Tracking data showed the tanker over 1,000 kilometers off the Somali coast on Friday.
As the vessel rushed to the scene, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center warned of another incident in the same area on Friday. The UKMTO said a small vessel carrying three people, believed to be part of the same pirate group responsible for the seizure of the Hellas Aphrodite, tried to get close to another ship but was outrun by the vessel.
The attack on the Hellas Aphrodite comes after another vessel, the Cayman Islands-flagged Stolt Sagaland, was targeted on Monday in a suspected pirate attack. This incident saw its armed security force and the attackers shooting at each other, according to the EU force.
Other incidents have also been linked to the same pirate gang, which is believed to be operating from an Iranian fishing boat it earlier seized. Piracy off the Somali coast peaked in 2011, when 237 attacks were reported. According to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group, Somali piracy in the region in 2011 cost the world’s economy some $7 billion (€6 billion), with $160 million (€138 million) paid out in ransoms.
The threat was diminished by increased international naval patrols, a strengthening central government in Somalia, and other efforts. However, Somali pirate attacks have resumed at a greater pace over the last year, in part due to the insecurity caused by Yemen’s Houthi rebels launching attacks in the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
In 2024, there were seven reported incidents off Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. So far this year, multiple fishing boats have been seized by Somali pirates, but the Hellas Aphrodite represents the first commercial ship attacked since May last year.