The Spanish frigate Victoria, which is part of the European anti-piracy operation Atalanta in the Indian Ocean, liberated a Maltese-flagged tanker with 24 crew members on Friday, November 7th. The EU operation’s headquarters in Rota (Cádiz) said that the tanker had been hijacked the day before about 700 nautical miles (1,296 kilometres) off the coast of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The 24 crew men of the Hellas Aphrodite, who had taken shelter in the ship’s citadel and were in touch with the EU operation, have been rescued unharmed. Atalanta said that the pirates left the Hellas Aphrodite “after an early show of force.” A Spanish Navy ship, along with its helicopter, a drone, a special operations squad, and a surveillance plane, did the rescue.
As soon as the word of the hijacking spread, a search operation began. It involved a Japanese maritime patrol plane that was in the vicinity, the maritime authorities of Seychelles, and those of Puntland, the breakaway region in northern Somalia. According to a statement from Operation Atalanta, they are looking for the pirates who ran away when the Spanish frigate arrived.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia, which had been at an all-time low in recent years, has increased again after Israel’s attack on Gaza and the Houthis’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Author: Derek Appleton
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