European Union and Indian naval forces have seized a vessel used by Somali pirates to capture a Malta-flagged tanker off Somalia, reported the Manila Times.

The Iranian fishing dhow Issamohamadi was abandoned after pirates used it as a mother ship to take the Hellas Aphrodite, which was carrying gasoline from India to South Africa. A Spanish frigate, ESPS Victoria, boarded the dhow and confirmed the original crew were safe. Iran has not commented on the seizure.

Operation Atalanta said the pirate group had been "definitely disrupted" and evidence gathered from both vessels will support legal prosecution.

Somali piracy peaked in 2011 with 237 attacks, costing the global economy US$7 billion and generating $160 million in ransoms. International patrols and a stronger Somali government later reduced the threat.

Attacks have increased again over the past year, partly linked to insecurity from Houthi assaults in the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Houthis have since paused attacks under a fragile ceasefire.

The International Maritime Bureau recorded seven incidents off Somalia in 2024. This year, several fishing boats have been seized, with the Hellas Aphrodite the first commercial ship taken since May 2024.