Hellas Aphrodite crew rescued as Somali piracy incidents surge
\n \t
\n
<\/BR>
\n
\n \t
\n
<\/BR><\/p>\n
Incidents of Somali Basin piracy are surging. This morning the UKMTO Operation Center gave an update <\/a>on a November 6 incident 560 nautical miles southeast of Eyl, Somalia, in which the master of the Maltese-flagged merchant tanker Hellas Aphrodite r<\/em>eported that it had been approached from the stern by a small craft and that, after opening fire with small arms fire and RPGs, unauthorized personnel from the small craft had boarded the vessel. Coalition forces are now onboard vessel and crew have left the citadel, reported as safe and well. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.<\/p>\n Subsequently, EU NAVFOR <\/a>reported that on the early afternoon (local time) of November 7, \u201cOperation ATALANTA forces liberated the Hellas Aphrodite.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe crew, composed of 24 people, is safe and no injuries have been reported. Throughout the incident, they remained in the citadel in direct contact with ATALANTA,\u201d says the EU NAVFOR report.<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter an early show of force of the Pirate Action Group (PAG) abandoned the merchant tanker. The flagship ESPS Victoria <\/em>with its helicopter, the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), the maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, and the special operations team were involved in the liberation of the merchant tanker.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe threat assessment in the area surrounding the incident remains critical. The mother ship and the pirates remain in the area. A coordinated joint operation is ongoing to intercept the dhow used in this attack.<\/p>\n \u201cAll assessment and recommendations are shared through the appropriate channels with the shipping operators and updated on the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) website<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOperation ATALANTA strongly recommends merchant and other vulnerable vessels to register in the MSCIO\u2019s Voluntary Registration Scheme (VRS), to provide the most effective monitoring and response by ATALANTA forces and its partners in countering maritime security threats.\u201d<\/p>\n Maritime security and risk analysis specialist Dryad Global today provided more insights into this incident and on the sharp flare up in piracy activity in the region since late October with coordinated Pirate Action Groups (PAGs) using hijacked dhows as motherships to push attacks far offshore with RPGs and automatic weapons. Dryad notes a string of recent incidents:<\/p>\n Dryad says that, with several incidents in 2024 and multiple fishing vessel hijackings in 2025, the latest offshore activity\u2014now commonly >300\u2013600 nm from shore and reported up to ~1,000 nm\u2014reflects organized PAGs leveraging mothership logistics amid diverted naval tasking.<\/p>\n Full Dryad Global update HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The post Hellas Aphrodite crew rescued as Somali piracy incidents surge<\/a> appeared first on Marine Log<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nDryad Global analysis<\/h4>\n
\n
Why this matters now<\/h4>\n
\n