A Maltese-flagged tanker has been hijacked more than 700 nautical miles off Mogadishu in one of the most audacious piracy incidents to hit the western Indian Ocean in recent months.
The Hellas Aprodite was boarded after a small craft pursued the vessel and opened fire with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, forcing all 24 crew members to retreat to the ship’s citadel.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre described the attack as an illegal boarding, confirming that armed intruders managed to climb aboard the tanker roughly 560 nautical miles southeast of Eyl. EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta said one of its assets is closing in and prepared to intervene, although the nearest warship — a Spanish frigate — remains around 30 hours away.
Security analysts believe the hijackers belong to a pirate action group that has been active for more than a week and attempted attacks on two other vessels, including the Stolt Aphrodite on 3 November and the fishing vessel Intertuna Tres a day earlier.
The incident comes just days after the MV Stolt Sagaland repelled a boarding attempt 330 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, where armed guards fired warning shots at four would-be attackers operating from a small craft supported by a suspected mothership nearby.
Operation Atalanta has assessed it is highly likely that an Iranian dhow hijacked on 28 October — reportedly operating without AIS and identified as the ISSAMOHAMADI — has been used as the mother vessel behind recent attacks. Maritime authorities have warned ships to avoid a 100-nautical-mile radius around the latest attack site and urged prompt reporting of all suspicious activity to aid rapid response efforts.
The renewed surge in piracy follows a pattern first noted in late 2023, when a spike in dhow hijackings coincided with escalating security tensions in the Red Sea.
Somali pirate groups have historically used commandeered dhows as mobile bases to strike deep into the Indian Ocean. Operation Atalanta recorded dozens of incidents across the Somali Basin and Gulf of Aden throughout 2024, including four merchant vessel boardings and significant hijackings such as the MV Ruen, rescued by the Indian Navy after three months in captivity, and the MV Abdullah, released after an alleged ransom payment.
Early 2025 brought further trouble with the hijacking of a Chinese fishing vessel off Puntland.
The most recent successful rescue in the area occurred in May 2024, when Atalanta forces freed the Liberian-flagged MV Basilisk after boarding the vessel by helicopter.
As investigations into the Hellas Aprodite hijacking continue, naval forces are racing to reach the tanker, and authorities are urging all ships transiting the region to heighten vigilance and maintain close communication with UKMTO.
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