DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) The European Union and Indian navies have successfully taken control of a ship utilized by pirates off the coast of Somalia. This operation was confirmed by the EU naval force on Wednesday. The ship in question, an Iranian fishing vessel named the Issamohamadi, was abandoned after the pirates seized the Hellas Aphrodite, a Malta-flagged tanker that was transporting gasoline from India to South Africa.
The Issamohamadi, categorized as a traditional dhow, served as a "mother ship" for the pirates, enabling them to conduct a series of attacks culminating in their hijacking of the tanker. A team from the ESPS Victoria, a Spanish frigate, boarded the dhow and reported that the original crew was in “good condition, safe and free.” Notably, Iran has not acknowledged the seizure of the Issamohamadi.
The EU naval force's Operation Atalanta stated that the pirate group operating in the area has been significantly disrupted. The operation has allowed EU forces to gather crucial evidence and intelligence regarding the incident, which will be used to support future legal prosecutions of the perpetrators involved in these pirate activities.
Piracy along the Somali coast reached a peak in 2011 when an alarming total of 237 attacks were recorded. During that year, Somali piracy inflicted an estimated $7 billion loss on the global economy, with about $160 million paid out in ransoms, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group. The threat of piracy was successfully reduced thanks to increased international naval patrols, strengthening of the central government in Somalia, and other initiatives aimed at combating maritime crime.
However, reports suggest that Somali pirate attacks have resumed at an intensified rate over the past year. This resurgence is attributed, in part, to the instability exacerbated by the Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have conducted attacks in the Red Sea corridor amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis recently indicated a cessation of their attacks as a fragile ceasefire is currently in effect in Gaza.
As of 2024, the International Maritime Bureau reported seven incidents of piracy off Somalia. Multiple fishing boats have been seized by Somali pirates in the early part of this year. The hijacking of the Hellas Aphrodite marks the first instance of a commercial ship being seized by pirates off the Somali coast since May 2024.
