At a glance
• Pirates armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Greek tanker Hellas Aphrodite off the coast of Somalia as it sailed from India to South Africa
• All 24 crew members are safe, after the pirates — reportedly operating from a hijacked Iranian fishing boat — opened fire on the vessel
• Maritime authorities have warned that pirate assaults in the region are “almost certain” to increase, following a similar failed attack earlier this month.
Pirates firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades boarded a tanker off the Somali coast on Thursday.
The Greek shipping tanker was targeted off the coast of Somalia as it travelled from India to South Africa.
