European Union naval forces have rescued 24 sailors from a Maltese-flagged oil tanker that was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
The Hellas Aphrodite, carrying petrol from India to South Africa, was seized on Thursday when armed pirates opened fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades before boarding the vessel.
The crew locked themselves inside a fortified citadel while the attackers took control of the ship.
A Spanish warship, the ESPS Victoria, operating under the EU's anti-piracy mission Operation Atalanta, reached the tanker on Friday afternoon. Special forces boarded the vessel and found all 24 crew members unharmed.
The crew is safe and no injuries have been reported. Throughout the incident, they remained in the citadel in direct contact with Atalanta, the EU mission said, adding that a show of force had prompted the pirates to abandon the ship before the warship arrived.
It added that the threat risk in the area remains critical as the pirates are still in the area.
The rescue operation involved a helicopter, drone and surveillance aircraft. Just hours earlier, another ship in the same region was approached by a small speedboat but successfully evaded it.
This incident is the latest in a spate of attacks raising concerns about a resurgence in piracy. Such attacks had declined significantly in recent years due to international patrols.
However, escalating attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels on vessels in the Red Sea have forced ships to reroute through the Indian Ocean, increasing chances for Somali pirates.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, there were seven piracy incidents off Somalia last year, with only one reported in 2023.
