• EU naval forces rescued 24 crew members from the Hellas Aphrodite after a pirate attack.
• The tanker was seized while carrying gasoline from India to South Africa.
• Increased pirate activity has raised concerns over security in the region.
• A coordinated rescue effort involved special forces and multiple naval assets.
• The incident raises fears about a resurgence of piracy off the Somali coast.

European Union naval forces have successfully rescued all 24 crew members from the Malta-flagged tanker, Hellas Aphrodite, which was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The rescue operation took place after the tanker was attacked on Thursday, during which pirates used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to board the vessel, prompting the crew to lock themselves in a fortified citadel. The Spanish frigate ESPS Victoria, part of the EU's Operation Atalanta anti-piracy mission, reached the ship on Friday and found the crew unharmed, according to Al Jazeera, LA Times, and BBC.

The seizure of the tanker, which was transporting gasoline from India to South Africa, raised alarms about piracy once again becoming a threat in the region. Operation Atalanta reported that its naval forces used "an early show of force" to compel the pirates to abandon the vessel prior to their arrival, further emphasizing the critical threat level in the area due to the presence of pirates, as stated by LA Times and BBC.

This incident follows a surge in piracy incidents, with seven reported attacks occurring off the Somali coast last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Experts suggest that the escalating piracy problem has been influenced by regional instability, including conflicts in Yemen that have diverted shipping routes and opened new opportunities for Somali pirate gangs, as highlighted by Al Jazeera and BBC.

The rise in piracy and subsequent attacks emphasize the need for ongoing international efforts to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean region, particularly given the historical precedent of piracy peaking in 2011. Efforts to curb these attacks had been somewhat successful prior to the recent uptick in maritime crime, as mentioned by LA Times and BBC.