Armed pirates boarded a Malta-flagged 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 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.”
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.
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.
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took t...
Saudi Arabia has restored its vital East-West oil pipeline to near-full capacity, but escalating Houthi attacks on energy facilities, airports and ...
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 9 October 2026 with five key developments from the CIS summit in Turkmenistan....
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
Russia struck Ukraine overnight in one of the biggest attacks of the conflict, killing at least 19 people, Kyiv's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Around 70 missiles were fired at Ukraine during the attack, as well as drones, the Ministry said.
The Saudi-led coalition says it has carried out a series of military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen after attacks on two Saudi airports left three people dead and dozens injured.
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states have signed two key documents at the 8th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, formalising a broader framework for regional cooperation in transport, trade, energy, digitalisation and security.
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school. But within weeks, a movement that began outside French lycées had spread across the country.
South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.
U.S. federal immigration agents shot and wounded a man in a car with a five-year-old boy inside in New York City’s Bronx neighbourhood on Thursday, city officials, police and witnesses say.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sharply criticised the United States following a series of Russian attacks that killed more than 70 people over two days, arguing that Washington is not doing enough to help Kyiv counter Moscow's continued assault.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
The United States has unveiled a new round of sanctions targeting Iran's energy exports, taking aim at vessels, companies and individuals accused of helping move Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and petrochemicals to overseas markets.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment