Attackers target ship off Somalia’s coast amid piracy resurgence

A Malta-flagged tanker heading from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa, is targeted by suspected Somali pirates.

Attackers firing machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades person boarded a vessel disconnected the seashore of Somalia, United Kingdom officials accidental of the latest assault, apt by resurgent Somali pirates, successful the region.

“The Master of a vas has reported being approached by 1 tiny trade connected its stern. The tiny trade fired tiny arms and RPG’s towards the vessel,” the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations centre said successful an alert issued connected Thursday. It warned ships successful the country to “transit with caution”.

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The backstage information steadfast Ambrey besides said an onslaught was nether way, saying it targeted a Malta-flagged tanker heading from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa.

Ambrey added that it appeared to beryllium an battle by Somali pirates, who are reported to beryllium operating successful the country successful caller days and who seized an Iranian sportfishing vessel to usage arsenic a basal of operations. Iran has not acknowledged the seizure of the sportfishing boat, called the Issamohamadi.

Details of the vas attacked connected Thursday correspond to the Hellas Aphrodite, which changed its way and slowed down astatine the clip of the attack. The ship’s owners and managers could not instantly beryllium reached for comment.

UKMTO WARNING 040-25 – 06 NOV 25

Click present to presumption the afloat Advisory⤵️https://t.co/yo0ifPJbtT#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/Hqa7sct7ab

— UKMTO Operations Centre (@UK_MTO) November 6, 2025

Another maritime information firm, the Diaplous Group, said the attacked tanker had a unit of 24 mariners, each of whom reportedly locked themselves into the ship’s citadel for information during the attack. The vas did not person an equipped information squad connected committee it, the steadfast added.

The European Union’s Operation Atalanta, a counterpiracy ngo astir the Horn of Africa, has responded to different caller pirate attacks successful the country and issued a caller alert to shippers that a pirate radical was operating disconnected Somalia and assaults were “almost certain” to happen.

Thursday’s onslaught came aft different vessel, the Cayman Islands-flagged Stolt Sagaland, recovered itself targeted successful a suspected pirate onslaught that progressive some its equipped information unit and the attackers shooting astatine each other, the EU unit said.

Piracy disconnected Somalia peaked successful 2011 erstwhile 237 attacks were reported. Somali piracy successful the portion successful 2011 outgo the world’s system astir $7bn with $160m paid retired successful ransoms, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group.

The menace was diminished by accrued planetary naval patrols, a strengthened cardinal authorities successful Somalia and different efforts.

However, Somali piracy has surged again since precocious 2023. According to Solace Global Risk, a question hazard absorption company, the diminution successful antipiracy patrols and the relocation of funds to antagonistic Houthi rebels activities contributed to the emergence successful attacks.

In 2024, determination were 7 reported incidents disconnected Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. So acold this year, aggregate sportfishing boats person been seized by Somali pirates.