Pirates board tanker off Somalia in biggest escalation since 2024

Armed pirates boarded a Malta-flagged products tanker off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, but the crew managed to secure themselves in a fortified safe room and have retained control of the vessel, according to maritime security sources.

The incident marks another in a series of armed assaults in the area, including the first suspected Somali pirate attack in a year — sparking renewed concerns over the safety of key maritime routes vital for global energy and trade.

The Hellas Aphrodite, carrying a cargo of gasoline, was sailing from India to South Africa when the “security incident” occurred on Thursday morning, its Greek operator Latsco Marine Management said. The company confirmed that all crew members were unharmed.

Maritime security firm Ambrey reported that the pirates, travelling in a small skiff, opened fire on the tanker. Sources added that a rocket-propelled grenade was also fired at the ship.

The European Union’s naval mission said one of its vessels was “close to the incident and closing in, ready to take the appropriate actions to respond effectively to this piracy alert.”

Crew safe and in control

The ship’s crew sought refuge in the vessel’s “citadel” — a reinforced safe room — and maintained control of the ship, according to Diaplous Maritime Services and British risk management firm Vanguard.

A source familiar with the situation said the captain is Montenegrin, while five crew members, including the chief engineer, are Greek and the remainder Filipino.

“All 24 crew are safe and accounted for, and we remain in close contact with them,” Latsco Marine Management said in a statement, adding that its emergency response team had been activated and was liaising with authorities to ensure the crew’s safety.

According to one maritime source, “the crew reported hearing noises on the vessel.” A Japanese surveillance aircraft later flew over the site but observed no movement or visible activity.

The last comparable incident occurred in May 2024, when suspected pirates boarded the Liberian-flagged Basilisk around 380 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. EU naval forces later rescued the 17 crew members after boarding the vessel by fast-rope.

Earlier this week, in the first suspected Somali piracy attempt since 2024, armed attackers tried to storm a commercial tanker off Mogadishu, opening fire after an attempted boarding.

Sources also reported that pirates had recently seized an Iranian fishing vessel to use as a mothership for further attacks.

The most recent hijacking occurred in December 2023, when the Maltese-flagged Ruen was captured and taken to the Somali coast before being freed by Indian naval forces, who also detained the hijackers.

Somali piracy has largely subsided in recent years, following a surge of incidents a decade ago that threatened major shipping lanes across the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

More recently, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has posed a greater danger to maritime traffic in the Red Sea — which connects to the Gulf of Aden — since launching attacks on commercial vessels in November 2023 in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Although the Houthis have since agreed to halt strikes on U.S.-linked shipping, many operators remain cautious about sending vessels through the area.

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