European Union Naval forces rescued 24 sailors from a wrecked Maltese tank attacked by Pirates off the coast of Somalia.
The Hellas Aphrodite, which was carrying oil from India to South Africa, was seized on Thursday when armed pirates opened fire on the milukas before boarding the ship.
The crew locked themselves inside a fortified Citadel while the attackers took control of the ship.
A Spanish warship, the ESS Victoria, operating under the anti-EU-Priacy Atalanta operation, reached the Tanker on Friday afternoon. Special forces boarded the ship and found all 24 crew members unharmed.
“The crew was safe and no injuries were reported. Throughout the incident, they remained in the Citadel in direct contact with Atalana,” added the Pirantiya “prompting a” show of force to abandon the ship before the Pirantiya arrived.
It added that the danger in the area “remains critical” while the pirates are still in the area.
The rescue operation involved a helicopter, drone and surveillance aircraft. A few hours later, another vessel in the same area was approached by a small speedboat but managed to avoid it.
It is the latest in a spate of attacks that have raised concerns about a resurgence of piracy in the area.
Such activity declined when the international procedures for the care of Naval Patrol and Security were introduced after joining a decade ago.
However, the attack by the Houthi Rebels in Yemen on ships in the Red Sea, carried out in the last two years, has made India’s Overdanes in East Africa – create new opportunities for Somali gangs for Somali Gangs.
There were seven reported incidents of piracy off the coast of Somalia last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau – including three hijackings. Only one Piracy incident was reported in 2023.