A Maltese oil tanker was attacked by pirates near the coast of Somalia.

On Thursday, a Maltese-flagged tanker was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia while heading to Durban, South Africa. Maritime authorities issued a warning for vessels in the area, stating that the small pirate craft fired small caliber weapons and RPGs in the direction of the ship.

Unauthorized personnel from the vessel managed to board. The maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed that the ship, which had departed from Sikka, India, was attacked by pirates operating from a hijacked Iranian boat. The crew of 24 sailors barricaded themselves in the ship's citadel for protection, as the vessel did not have an armed security team on board.