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Malti.
A Malta-registered oil and chemical tanker has been boarded by armed pirates off the coast of Somalia while en route from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa.
The Hellas Aphrodite, operated by Greek shipping company Latsco Marine Management, came under fire from gunmen using machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). The company confirmed the assault but said that all 24 crew members were unharmed and accounted for.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued an alert shortly after the incident, advising ships in the region to remain on high alert. According to the UKMTO report, the vessel’s master had sighted a small craft approaching from the stern, which then opened fire using small arms and RPGs.
Private maritime security firm Ambrey added that the attackers were Somali pirates operating from an Iranian fishing vessel they had previously hijacked. The pirates reportedly used a skiff to approach and board the tanker.
Thursday’s assault follows another piracy attempt earlier in the week involving the Cayman Islands-flagged vessel Stolt Sagaland. That incident, which occurred on 3 November, saw an exchange of gunfire between the ship’s armed security team and the attackers. The vessel’s operator, Stolt-Nielsen, confirmed that the attack had been unsuccessful.
According to vessel tracking data from VesselFinder.com, the Hellas Aphrodite is a 183-metre-long, 32-metre-wide oil and chemical tanker built in 2016.
