Spanish frigate rescues 24 sailors after piracy assault near Somalia

A European Union naval force reached a Malta-flagged tanker on Friday that had been previously attacked by pirates off the Somali coast, discovering all 24 crew members safe following an assault that renewed concerns about piracy in the area.

The capture of the Hellas Aphrodite, transporting petrol from India to South Africa, concluded as the ESPS Victoria arrived beside the ship.

Special forces from the Spanish frigate boarded the tanker and freed the 24 crew members who had locked themselves inside the ship’s citadel when the attack commenced on Thursday, according to the EU’s anti-piracy coalition Operation Atalanta.

Operation Atalanta stated that "an early show of force" by the Victoria prompted the pirates to abandon the vessel, without further elaboration.

The operation involved a helicopter, a drone, and another aircraft in addition to the frigate.

"The threat assessment in the area surrounding the incident remains critical," warned Operation Atalanta.

"The mother ship and the pirates are still in the area. A coordinated joint operation is ongoing to intercept the dhow used in this attack."

The private security firm Diaplous Group reported that the Victoria would stay alongside the Hellas Aphrodite until it could restart its engines and depart.

The pirates fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades during their assault on Thursday.

Tracking data indicated the tanker was over 1,000 kilometers off the Somali coast on Friday.

As the vessel hurried to the scene, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center warned of another incident in the same region on Friday.

The UKMTO reported that a small vessel carrying three individuals, suspected to be part of the same pirate group involved in the Hellas Aphrodite seizure, attempted to approach another ship, but the ship managed to outrun the pirate vessel.

20251106-UKMTO_WARNING_040-25-UPDATE 001https://t.co/L3PtWRoL9h#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/yh0gUlut4Z

— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) November 7, 2025

The attack on the Hellas Aphrodite follows an incident involving another vessel, the Cayman Islands-flagged Stolt Sagaland, which was targeted on Monday in a suspected pirate attack resulting in an exchange of gunfire between its armed security force and the attackers, according to the EU force.

Other incidents have also been attributed to the same pirate gang, believed to be operating from an Iranian fishing boat it previously seized.

Piracy off the Somali coast peaked in 2011, with 237 reported attacks. In 2011, Somali piracy in the area cost the world’s economy approximately $7 billion (€6 billion), with $160 million (€138 million) paid as ransoms, reported by the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group.

The threat was reduced by increased international naval patrols, a strengthening central government in Somalia, and other measures.

However, Somali pirate attacks have resumed at a heightened rate over the past year, partly due to the instability caused by Yemen’s Houthi rebels launching attacks in the Red Sea amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

In 2024, the International Maritime Bureau reported seven incidents off Somalia.

So far this year, several fishing boats have been seized by Somali pirates, but the Hellas Aphrodite is the first commercial ship attacked since May last year.