Somali Pirates Board Malta-Flagged Tanker Deep in Indian Ocean

A Maltese-flagged tanker has been boarded by pirates approximately more than 700 nautical miles offshore Mogadishu, Somalia, the latest in a string of piracy incidents reported in the region over the past week.

The vessel Hellas Aprodite was boarded by unauthorized personnel after being approached by a small craft that fired small arms and RPGs toward the ship. All 24 crew members have retreated to the vessel’s citadel.

The UK-based UKMTO Operations Centre described the incident as an “illegal boarding”, taking place approximately 560 nautical miles southeast of Eyl, Somalia. “The Master of a vessel has reported being approached by 1 small craft on its stern. The small craft fired small arms and RPG’s towards the vessel. Unauthorised personnel of the small craft have boarded the vessel in position of 0205N 05710E,” it said.

EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta confirmed that an asset is close to the incident and closing distance, ready to take appropriate action to respond to the incident. The nearest naval vessel is a Spanish frigate from Operation Atalanta, approximately 30 hours away from the scene.

Martin Kelly, Head of Advisory at EOS Risk Group, described the incident as a “hijacking” taking place 710NM offshore Mogadishu, Somalia. According to Kelly, the pirate action group has been active for around eight days and attempted two previous attacks on Stolt Aphrodite on November 3 and Intertuna Tres, a fishing vessel, on November 2.

Just days before this incident, on November 3, the chemical tanker MV Stolt Sagaland successfully repelled a pirate attack approximately 330 nautical miles east of Mogadishu when armed security personnel fired warning shots at four unauthorized persons attempting to board from a small craft. A mothership was positioned approximately 5 nautical miles from the tanker during that incident.

EUNAVFOR ATALANTA assessed that it is “HIGHLY LIKELY that [a] Iranian Hijacked Dhow reported on 28/10/25 was used as the mother vessel” for the Stolt Sagaland attack. The dhow was believed to be named ISSAMOHAMADI and was not transmitting AIS signals.

Maritime authorities had advised vessels to avoid a 100-nautical-mile radius from the attack location, where a pirate action group is considered active. The bulletin stressed that “the timely and comprehensive reporting of incidents and suspicious activity remains crucial to allow for a rapid incident response.”

These latest attacks follow a broader pattern of piracy resurgence that began in November 2023 with a series of dhow hijackings, coinciding with Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region. Maritime security experts note that pirates typically use hijacked dhows as “mother ships” to launch attacks hundreds of miles offshore in the Indian Ocean.

Operation ATALANTA documented dozens of incidents in the Somali Basin and Gulf of Aden in 2024, including four merchant vessel boardings and two notable hijackings: the MV Ruen, captured in mid-December 2023 and held for three months before being rescued by the Indian Navy, and the MV Abdullah, which was hijacked in March 2024 and released a month later, reportedly after a large ransom payment. January 2025 saw the hijacking of a Chinese fishing vessel off Somalia’s northeastern Puntland coast.

The last successful rescue operation in the region occurred in May 2024, when Operation ATALANTA freed the Liberian-flagged MV Basilisk from suspected pirates. The ship, with 17 crew members on board, was attacked while transiting the Indian Ocean approximately 380 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. ATALANTA forces arrived at the scene and boarded the vessel from a helicopter, securing the ship though no pirates were captured in the operation.

Authorities continue to investigate the current incident and have advised vessels to transit the area with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.

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