EU naval force nears ship seized by pirates off Somali coast

Operation Atalanta says it volition instrumentality ‘appropriate action’ to assistance the Malta-flagged tanker Hellas Aphrodite.

A European naval unit is en way to assistance a vessel that was hijacked by pirates disconnected the seashore of Somalia, arsenic different vas narrowly escaped a akin attack, with piracy surging again successful the region.

The European Union’s Operation Atalanta said connected Friday that its assets were “close” to the Hellas Aphrodite, a Malta-flagged tanker which was seized by pirates the erstwhile day.

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The attackers utilized machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) to committee the vessel.

In its connection connected Friday, Operation Atalanta said it was “ready to instrumentality the due enactment and to respond respectively to this event”.

The rescue effort comes amid fears for the information of the 24 mariners connected committee the Hellas Aphrodite, which was carrying gasoline from India to South Africa erstwhile it came nether attack.

Tracking information showed that the vessel was much than 1,000km (620 miles) disconnected the Somali coast, according to The Associated Press quality agency.

The backstage information steadfast Ambrey said Thursday’s battle appeared to person been carried retired by the aforesaid radical of Somali pirates who precocious captured an Iranian sportfishing boat, which they person subsequently been utilizing arsenic a basal for their operations.

As the EU naval unit neared the Hellas Aphrodite connected Friday, the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) said different vas had been unsuccessfully targeted by pirates connected Friday.

In an alert published connected X, UKMTO, which urged ships successful the country to “transit with caution”, said the skipper of a liquified earthy state tanker reported a vessel approaching its stern, 528 nautical miles (equivalent to astir 980km) southeast of Eyl, Somalia.

“The tiny trade fired tiny arms and RPGs towards the vessel,” it said, noting that the larger vessel escaped by expanding its speed.

After piracy disconnected the Somali seashore peaked successful 2011 with 237 attacks, the menace receded arsenic a effect of planetary naval patrols and the strengthening of the Somali government.

However, the fig of piracy incidents appears to beryllium connected the emergence this year.