A Malta-flagged tanker Hellas Aphrodite has been seized by armed pirates in a deepwater attack in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia.
According to reports from maritime security firms Vanguard Tech and Ambrey, the assault occurred early Thursday, about 550 nautical miles east-southeast of Hobyo, far outside the traditional high-risk corridor. The 50,000 dwt vessel, sailing from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa, came under fire from a skiff launched from a mothership identified as the Iranian-flagged dhow Issamohahmdi.
The Hellas Aphrodite did not have an armed security team on board. The pirates opened fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades before boarding the tanker. AIS data later showed the ship changing course and speed, while another nearby tanker moved away from the area.
Another maritime security firm, Diaplous Group, said the attacked tanker had a crew of 24 seafarers, all of whom reportedly locked themselves in the ship’s citadel.
The Issamohahmdi was reportedly hijacked several weeks ago, but Iran has not acknowledged the seizure. The dhow has been linked to at least three previous incidents off Somalia. Its AIS signal was last detected roughly 560 nautical miles offshore.
This attack follows the attempted boarding of the Stolt Sagaland, a Cayman Islands-flagged chemical tanker, just three days earlier.
EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta has since raised the alert level, warning of an active pirate action group believed to be operating from the hijacked dhow. Security experts caution that more suspicious approaches are likely in the coming days, urging ships to adhere strictly to BMP5 safety procedures.
The boarding of the Hellas Aphrodite signals a troubling resurgence of Somali piracy. Pirate attacks off Somalia have resumed at a greater pace over the past year, partly due to insecurity caused by Yemen’s Houthi rebels launching assaults in the Red Sea.
In 2024, there were seven reported incidents off Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. So far this year, multiple fishing boats have been seized by Somali pirates.
