Armed individuals boarded a Maltese-flagged cargo ship off Somalia early on Thursday.

Maritime security sources said they had fired gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel.

The Maltese-flagged Hellas Aphrodite ship was carry gasoline and was headed to South Africa from India. 

The European Union's naval force combating piracy off the Horn of Africa, Operation Atalanta, said that one of its vessels was near the attack site and was en route to provide assistance.

Ship's crew members sheltered in citadel

Greek company Latsco Marine Management, which manages the ship, first raised the alarm of a "security incident" on Thursday morning but provided comparatively few details at first. 

The British UKMTO maritime trade operations center described the incident as an "illegal boarding." 

"The Master of a vessel has reported being approached by one small craft on its stern," it said. "The small craft fired small arms and RPG's towards the vessel. Unauthorized personnel of the small craft have boarded the vessel."

Maritime risk management company Diapolous said that the 24 crew members had sought shelter in the ship's secure "citadel," remained there, and were safe. 

"All 24 crew are safe and accounted for and we remain in close contact with them," the ship's managing company Latsco said in a statement. 

Recent uptick in attacks after several calmer years

Thursday's incident is the first time in over a year that pirates have taken control of a vessel in the Horn of Africa region, but it's also one of several attacks in recent days that had put sailors and shipping companies on edge.

"This is an unprecedented series of events targeting merchant vessels since the hijacking of the MV Basilisk in May 2024," France's Maritime Information Cooperation and Awareness Center warned, referring to the last successful hijacking. "Pirates are agile, determined, move between areas and have real reach."

As well as the Liberian-flagged MV Basilisk last May, Bangladesh-flagged vessel the MV Abdullah was hijacked in April, and India's navy reclaimed control of one ship in March 2024 and another in January.

The waters off Somalia, gripped by a series of internal conflicts with a weakened government in only partial control, have long been known as a piracy hotspot given their importance to global shipping.

Attacks by Somali pirates on vessels were at a peak between 2010 and 2015, but they have declined drastically since, amid patrols by US, EU and other allied naval forces.

The increased attacks on the global shipping by Houthi rebels in Yemen amid the war in Gaza in the past two years diverted some international naval resources to other waters nearby.

Edited by: Zac Crellin