"Operation Atalanta says it will take appropriate action' to help the Malta-flagged tanker Hellas Aphrodite. A European naval force is en route to help a ship that was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, as another vessel narrowly escaped a similar attack, with piracy surging again in the region. The European Union's Operation Atalanta said on Friday that its assets were close to the Hellas Aphrodite, a Malta-flagged tanker which was seized by pirates the previous day."
"The attackers used machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) to board the vessel. In its statement on Friday, Operation Atalanta said it was ready to take the appropriate action and to respond respectively to this event. The rescue attempt comes amid fears for the safety of the 24 mariners on board the Hellas Aphrodite, which was carrying gasoline from India to South Africa when it came under attack."
"Tracking data showed that the ship was more than 1,000km (620 miles) off the Somali coast, according to The Associated Press news agency. The private security firm Ambrey said Thursday's assault appeared to have been carried out by the same group of Somali pirates who recently captured an Iranian fishing boat, which they have subsequently been using as a base for their operations."
Operation Atalanta deployed assets near the Malta-flagged tanker Hellas Aphrodite and declared readiness to take appropriate action. Somali pirates seized the tanker after boarding with machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades, putting 24 mariners at risk. The ship, carrying gasoline from India to South Africa, was tracked over 1,000km off the Somali coast. Private security firm Ambrey linked the attack to a pirate group using a captured Iranian fishing boat as an operational base. UKMTO reported an unsuccessful separate attack on a liquified natural gas tanker, which escaped after increasing speed. Regional piracy has resurged.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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