In a dramatic rescue operation, European Union naval forces successfully saved 24 sailors from a Maltese-flagged oil tanker, the Hellas Aphrodite, which had been seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The vessel, transporting petrol from India to South Africa, was attacked on Thursday when armed pirates fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades before boarding. The crew managed to lock themselves inside a fortified citadel, ensuring their safety until help arrived. The Spanish warship ESPS Victoria, part of the EU’s anti-piracy mission Operation Atalanta, reached the tanker on Friday afternoon. Special forces boarded the ship and confirmed that all crew members were unharmed. The EU mission reported that a ‘show of force’ by the naval forces prompted the pirates to abandon the vessel before the warship’s arrival. The rescue operation utilized a helicopter, drone, and surveillance aircraft. This incident is part of a worrying resurgence of piracy in the region, exacerbated by the diversion of ships through East Africa’s Indian Ocean due to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Last year, the International Maritime Bureau recorded seven piracy incidents off Somalia, including three hijackings, compared to just one in 2023.