Armed pirates equipped with machine guns and grenade launchers boarded a tanker off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, international maritime services reported. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Office (UKMTO) issued a warning to ships in the area after the attack, located southeast of Aile, reports Focus.
According to the information, the captain reported that a small boat approached the stern of the ship, opening fire with small arms and RPGs. “Unauthorized persons from the small boat managed to board“, said a UKMTO statement, quoted by Yahoo News and the Associated Press.
Maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed that the attack targeted a Maltese-flagged tanker that was traveling from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa. The company said the pirates fired on the ship and operated from a hijacked Iranian-flagged vessel. The data matches the tanker Hellas Aphrodite, which changed course and slowed during the attack.
Another maritime security firm, Diaplous Group, reported that there were 24 crew members on board who had taken refuge in the Citadel, a secure room for such situations. The company specifies that there were no armed guards on the ship.
The European Union's Operation Atalanta, which coordinates measures against piracy in the Horn of Africa region, has not yet given an official comment on the case.