European Union Maritime Forces Rescue Sailors After Somali Piracy Incident on Oil Tanker

EU maritime units have safely freed 24 sailors from a Maltese-flagged oil tanker that was targeted by sea robbers off the shoreline of Somalia.

The Hellas Aphrodite, which was carrying fuel from Indian ports to South African destinations, was taken over on Thursday when heavily armed attackers began shooting with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades before taking control of the vessel.

All sailors secured themselves inside a secure safe room while the attackers took control of the ship.

Mission Accomplished

A naval vessel, functioning under the EU's anti-piracy mission, reached the tanker on Friday afternoon. Elite military units boarded the craft and discovered all 24 crew members unharmed.

"The crew is secure and no injuries have been reported. During the ordeal, they remained in the secure area in constant communication with command center," authorities stated, noting that a "show of force" had convinced the pirates to abandon the vessel before the naval unit arrived.

Ongoing Threat

Authorities emphasized that the threat risk in the area "remains critical" as the pirates are still in the area.

The mission utilized a aircraft, drone and reconnaissance plane. Just hours earlier, a different vessel in the identical region was approached by a small speedboat but managed to evade it.

Return of Maritime Crime

This incident marks the most recent in a series of attacks that have created concern about a renewal of maritime crime in the area.

Such activity had declined when international naval patrols and security measures were implemented after peaking more than a decade ago.

Nevertheless, assaults by militant groups on vessels in the Red Sea, which have been carried out for the recent period, have led vessels to be diverted through East Africa's Indian Ocean - creating new opportunities for local pirate groups.

Incident Data

• Multiple piracy cases of piracy occurred off the coast of Somalia in the previous year
• Several vessel takeovers were documented among these events
• Only one incident of piracy was reported in 2023

Maritime security experts are closely watching the developments as vessel operators travel through these potentially hazardous waters.