Somali Pirates Board Malta-Flagged Tanker Hellas Aphrodite, Crew Secures Citadel

Somali pirates executed a daring boarding operation on Thursday, November 6, targeting a Malta-flagged tanker with rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire approximately 200 nautical miles off the Somali coast. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations issued an immediate advisory, confirming the assault and urging all vessels in the vicinity to exercise extreme caution. Ambrey, a leading maritime security firm, identified the vessel as the Hellas Aphrodite, en route from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa, noting significant course deviation and speed reduction consistent with hostile takeover protocols.

The attack involved at least six armed assailants who approached via small skiffs, exploiting the absence of private armed security on board. Diaplous Group reported that the 24 crew members successfully secured themselves within the ship’s citadel, a reinforced safe room, preventing direct confrontation. Communication with the vessel has since been severed, and the owners remain unresponsive. Intelligence indicates the pirates are operating from a previously hijacked Iranian fishing dhow, the Issamohamadi, which has not been acknowledged by Tehran.

This incident follows a pattern of escalating aggression in the western Indian Ocean, with the European Union’s Operation Atalanta confirming a prior exchange of fire involving the Cayman-flagged Stolt Sagaland. Atalanta had issued a high-threat bulletin days earlier, warning of active pirate action groups and predicting imminent attacks. The resurgence coincides with disrupted shipping lanes caused by Houthi operations in the Red Sea, creating vulnerabilities along Somalia’s eastern seaboard.

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According to the International Maritime Bureau, seven piracy incidents were recorded off Somalia in 2024, with multiple fishing vessels seized this year alone. The 2011 peak saw 237 attacks, costing the global economy $7 billion, including $160 million in ransoms. Although international naval presence and improved Somali governance had suppressed activity for over a decade, current geopolitical instability has enabled pirate networks to rearm and redeploy.

With the Hellas Aphrodite now under pirate control and negotiations likely underway, multinational naval forces are mobilizing response units. The incident underscores the persistent threat to maritime security in the region, demanding enhanced escort protocols and armed deterrence for commercial traffic transiting the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin.

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