For the 24 crew members aboard the Maltese-flagged oil tanker Hellas Aphrodite, the morning of November 6, 2025, began like any other as they sailed across the Indian Ocean, transporting petrol from India to South Africa. But their routine was shattered in a hail of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades when Somali pirates launched a brazen attack off the Horn of Africa, reigniting global fears about a resurgence of piracy in these perilous waters.
According to Operation Atalanta, the European Union’s anti-piracy mission, the heavily armed assailants boarded the Hellas Aphrodite after firing on the ship. The crew, trained for such emergencies, quickly retreated to the vessel’s fortified citadel—a secure stronghold designed to withstand attacks—where they remained in constant contact with EU naval forces. The pirates, meanwhile, took control of the ship, but were unable to access the crew or the navigation systems.
As reported by BBC and confirmed by the EU mission, the ordeal lasted into the following day. On November 7, the Spanish warship ESPS Victoria, operating under Operation Atalanta, arrived at the scene. The rescue operation was anything but routine: it involved not just the Spanish frigate but also helicopters, drones, and surveillance aircraft, with support from Puntland authorities and Japanese, Spanish, and Seychelles naval and air assets. The multinational force prepared for a potentially dangerous confrontation, but in the end, it was a show of overwhelming force that convinced the pirates to abandon ship and flee before the warship even arrived alongside.
"The crew is safe and no injuries have been reported. Throughout the incident, they remained in the citadel in direct contact with Atalanta," the EU mission stated. The 24 mariners were found unharmed, a testament to their training and the effectiveness of the citadel strategy—a tactic developed during the height of Somali piracy more than a decade ago.
The rescue, though successful, did little to ease the mounting anxiety among shipping companies and maritime authorities. As Operation Atalanta warned, "The threat assessment in the area surrounding the incident remains critical." The pirates remain at large, and the danger for vessels transiting these waters is far from over. The private security firm Diaplous Group noted that the ESPS Victoria would remain alongside the Hellas Aphrodite until the tanker could restart its engines and safely continue its journey.
The attack on the Hellas Aphrodite was not an isolated incident. Just hours before the rescue, another ship in the same area was approached by a small speedboat carrying three men, believed to be part of the same pirate group. That vessel managed to evade the would-be attackers, but the close call underscored the persistent threat. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center, part of the British military, quickly issued warnings to all ships in the vicinity, advising them to maintain extreme caution.
Further details emerged about the pirates’ operations. According to Marine Traffic and UKMTO, the small craft that approached another vessel returned to a suspected mothership identified as the Iranian-registered fishing vessel Issa Mohhamdi, which as of November 7 was tracked off the coast of Oman. Authorities believe this mothership is being used as a base by the pirate action group (PAG) responsible for the recent spate of attacks.
Just days earlier, on November 3, the Cayman Islands-flagged Stolt Sagaland was also targeted in a suspected pirate attack involving an exchange of gunfire between its armed security team and the attackers. And on November 7, the LNG tanker Al-Thumama, owned by NYK and en route from Qatar to Poland, reported a close encounter with a fast boat carrying three men. The Al-Thumama managed to outrun the pirates, who again returned to the Issa Mohhamdi. The pattern is clear: a well-organized pirate group, armed and emboldened, is actively hunting for vulnerable targets across a vast swath of ocean.
Why, after years of relative calm, is Somali piracy back in the headlines? According to the International Maritime Bureau and the EU force, the answer lies in the shifting tides of regional security. Piracy off Somalia peaked in 2011, with 237 attacks costing the world’s economy an estimated $7 billion and $160 million paid in ransoms. International naval patrols, improved security protocols, and a stronger Somali government had all but stamped out the threat, with only one incident reported in 2023. But in 2024, the number jumped to seven, including three hijackings. The attack on the Hellas Aphrodite is the first against a commercial ship since May 2024.
One driving factor is the chaos in the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have launched attacks on ships for the past two years, often in connection with the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. These assaults have forced commercial vessels to divert from the Red Sea to longer, more vulnerable routes around the Cape of Good Hope and East Africa’s Indian Ocean. As ships flood back into the old piracy hotspots, Somali gangs—many of whom never abandoned their trade—have seized the opportunity.
Data and evidence are now being gathered by Operation Atalanta and its partners to support the legal prosecution of the alleged pirates, should they be captured. The EU authorities have vowed to continue their intensive search for the pirate group, working closely with regional and international partners. As the EU mission emphasized, "ATALANTA, in collaboration with its maritime security partners in the area of operations, is continuing the intensive search for the PAG still active in the area."
For mariners and shipping companies, the message is clear: the waters off Somalia are once again a high-risk zone. Vessels are being urged to maintain heightened vigilance, employ armed security teams, and follow protocols designed to repel boarders and protect crews. The International Maritime Bureau and UKMTO continue to monitor the situation, issuing real-time alerts and guidance to ships transiting the region.
While the crew of the Hellas Aphrodite was fortunate to escape unharmed, their ordeal is a stark reminder that the threat of piracy is never truly gone—only dormant, waiting for the right conditions to resurface. With instability in neighboring regions and lucrative shipping lanes once again exposed, the stakes for maritime security in the Indian Ocean have rarely been higher.
As the EU’s Operation Atalanta and its partners press on with their search for the pirate group, the world’s attention has returned to the waters off Somalia—a place where, for now, caution remains the watchword and the line between routine passage and perilous encounter is perilously thin.
