Pirates hijack Malta-flagged oil tanker sailing from India to South Africa near Somalia

The attacked vessel is believed to be the Hellas Aphrodite. FILE PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Attackers firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades boarded a ship, en route to South Africa from India, off the coast of Somalia on Thursday.

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre issued an alert over the attack, warning ships in the area. The private security firm Ambrey also said that an attack was underway, saying it targeted a Malta-flagged tanker heading from Sikka, India, to Durban, South Africa.

Ambrey added that it appeared to be an assault by Somali pirates, who have been reported as operating in the area in recent days and who seized an Iranian fishing boat to use as a base of operations. Details of the attacked vessel correspond to the 183-metre-long Hellas Aphrodite, sailing under the Maltese flag.

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