EU Warship Reaches Tanker Seized Off Somalia; Spanish Special Forces Free 24 Crew

EU Warship Reaches Tanker Seized Off Somalia; Crew Found Safe

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A European Union naval task force reached the Malta-flagged tanker Hellas Aphrodite on Friday after it was seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia and found all 24 crew members unharmed. The operation, led by the Spanish frigate ESPS Victoria, brought the vessel alongside the tanker and enabled a boarding by Spanish special forces.

How the rescue unfolded

According to the EU's anti-piracy mission, Operation Atalanta, the crew had sheltered in the ship's citadel when the attack began on Thursday. An early show of force by the Victoria, supported by a helicopter, an unmanned drone and another aircraft, prompted the pirates to abandon the tanker, Operation Atalanta said.

The private security firm Diaplous Group reported that the Victoria would remain alongside the Hellas Aphrodite until the tanker could restart its engines and depart under its own power. Tracking data reviewed by The Associated Press placed the tanker more than 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) off the Somali coast on Friday.

Ongoing threat and wider context

Operation Atalanta warned that the broader area remains dangerous: the pirate mothership and attackers are still believed to be in the vicinity, and a coordinated effort to intercept the dhow used in the assault is ongoing. The attackers fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades during the assault.

The British United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center (UKMTO) reported a related incident in the same area on Friday, when a small vessel carrying three people—thought to be tied to the same pirate group—attempted to approach another ship but failed to catch it.

The seizure of the Hellas Aphrodite follows a suspected pirate attack earlier in the week on the Cayman Islands-flagged chemical tanker Stolt Sagaland, which involved an exchange of gunfire between its armed security team and attackers. Authorities say several recent incidents may be linked to the same pirate gang, believed to be operating from an Iranian fishing vessel it had earlier seized.

Background

Piracy off the Somali coast peaked in 2011 when 237 attacks were recorded, costing the global economy an estimated $7 billion that year, including about $160 million in ransoms, according to the monitoring group Oceans Beyond Piracy. The threat subsided in subsequent years because of increased international naval patrols, a stronger Somali central government and improved onboard security measures.

However, attacks have been rising again over the past year. Analysts point to regional instability, including Yemen's Houthi rebel strikes in the Red Sea corridor during the Israel-Hamas war, as one factor that has increased insecurity in nearby waters. The International Maritime Bureau recorded seven incidents off Somalia in 2024; the Hellas Aphrodite is the first commercial vessel seized off Somalia since May 2024, though multiple fishing boats have been taken so far this year.

Local fisherman Osman Abdi of Mogadishu said the hijackings sow fear and stigma for ordinary fishers: He warned that the actions of pirates could cause people to wrongly associate all local fishermen with criminal activity.

The situation remains fluid as international and regional forces continue operations to locate and interdict the pirate mothership and its auxiliary vessels. Associated Press writer Omar Faruk in Mogadishu contributed to this report.