Spanish fishing boat repels pirate attack by firing warning shots
The Intertuna Tres from Bermeo foiled the boarding attempt while sailing in the Indian Ocean, after years of 'relative peace' in the area
Iratxe Astui
Basque Country
Thursday, 13 November 2025, 20:12
After years of "relative peace" for boats and ships operating in the Indian Ocean, a Basque tuna fishing vessel has encountered Somali pirates. On Tuesday, the Intertuna Tres, which belongs to Bermeo-based company Albacora, repelled an attempted boarding by firing warning shots. The end of the monsoon season has resulted in calm waters that armed groups are taking advantage of to resume their attacks in an area historically affected by piracy.
Intertuna Tres, which fishes in the Indian Ocean under a foreign flag, became the target of an attack "some 900 kilometres off the coast of Somalia". The 111-metre-long fishing boat was sailing along when a speedboat, coming from the Issamohamadi mother ship "approached it from the stern with the intention of boarding". The crew immediately acted according to safety protocols and the security guards on board fired two warning shots, which were enough for the pirate boat to abort and return to the mother ship, without causing any injuries or material damage.
The attempted attack was part of a chain of assaults that started on 2 November. Issamohamadi is an Iranian ship, which Somali pirates hijacked in October. Within 72 hours, other vessels in the area were also threatened: the Norwegian bulk carrier Spar Apus detected a suspicious vessel approaching, but it managed to avoid it. The following day, the merchant ship Stolt Sagaland came under AK-47-type gunfire from a pirate gunboat. It responded by firing.
The upsurge in pirate activity culminated last Friday with the release of the Maltese vessel Hellas Aphrodite, which had been hijacked a day earlier. The Spanish frigate Victoria, part of the 'Atalanta' operation, executed a combined action with a helicopter, a maritime patrol aircraft and a special operations team. The show of force caused the pirates to abandon the ship.
Security recommendations
The authorities of the 'Atalanta' operation have launched an intensive search for the armed group and the mother ship. Given the increase in their activity in recent weeks, they have also recommended "avoiding a radius of 200 nautical miles around the area of the hijacking of the Hellas Aphrodite, maintaining constant vigilance and reinforcing all security measures". Maritime security officers and captains have also been urged to report any suspicious activity to speed up response and improve incident tracking.
