European Union naval forces successfully liberated 24 sailors from the Maltese-flagged oil tanker, Hellas Aphrodite, which was hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast. The vessel, transporting petrol from India to South Africa, was attacked on Thursday when armed pirates launched an assault using machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades before boarding the ship.
In a strategic move, the crew secured themselves inside a fortified citadel, allowing them to maintain communication with their rescuers while the attackers took control of the tanker. The Spanish warship ESPS Victoria, part of the EU’s anti-piracy mission Operation Atalanta, reached the vessel on Friday afternoon. Upon boarding, special forces found that all 24 crew members were safe and unharmed.
“The crew is safe and no injuries have been reported. Throughout the incident, they remained in the citadel in direct contact with Atalanta,”
stated the EU mission, which noted that a “show of force” had compelled the pirates to flee before the warship’s arrival. Despite this successful operation, the EU mission cautioned that the risk of piracy in the region remains “critical,” given that the pirates are still active in the area.
Details of the rescue operation
The coordinated rescue effort involved the deployment of a helicopter, drones, and surveillance aircraft to monitor the situation effectively. Just hours prior to the rescue, another vessel in the vicinity had encountered a small speedboat, which attempted to approach but ultimately retreated without incident.
Concerns over piracy resurgence
This incident is part of a worrying trend of renewed piracy attacks that have raised alarms about a resurgence in the region. Such incidents had significantly decreased following the implementation of international naval patrols and security measures after piracy reached alarming levels more than a decade ago.
The resurgence is attributed in part to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea over the past two years, which have prompted vessels to reroute through the Indian Ocean off East Africa, thus providing new opportunities for Somali pirate gangs. According to the International Maritime Bureau, there were seven reported incidents of piracy off the Somali coast last year, including three hijackings, while only one incident has been recorded in 2023.