Malta-flagged tanker boarded by pirates off Somali coast

A Malta-flagged tanker en route from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

According to international reports, pirates firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades have boarded the tanker.

Greek shipping company Latsco Marine Management confirmed its vessel, Hellas Aphrodite, has been attacked, adding that all 24 of the crew were safe and accounted for.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency issued an alert to warn ships in the area of the attack.

“The Master of a vessel has reported being approached by one small craft on its stern. The small craft fired small arms and RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] towards the vessel,” UKMTO said in a statement.

“The pirates were reported to have approached on a skiff and opened fire on the tanker,” private security firm Ambrey said in a statement, adding that Somali pirates were operating from an Iranian fishing boat they had seized.

Thursday's attack comes after another vessel, the Cayman Islands-flagged Stolt Sagaland, found itself targeted in a suspected pirate attack that included both its armed security force and the attackers shooting at each other, the EU force said.

The vessel's operator Stolt-Nielsen confirmed there was an attempted attack, early on 3 November, which was unsuccessful.

According to vesselfinder.com Hellas Aphrodite is described as an oil/chemical tanker, 183m long and 32m wide, which was built in 2016.