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ATHENS, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Pirates boarded a Maltese-flagged tanker off the coast of Somalia, but the crew took refuge in a secure, fortified room and remain in control, maritime security sources said on Thursday.

Attacks by gunmen on ships , including the first suspected Somali pirate attack in a year, have raised concerns in recent days about shipping lanes in a region through which vital energy and commodity shipments pass to global markets.

Greek shipping company Latsko Marine Management said the vessel Hellas Aphrodite, which it operates and which was carrying a cargo of gasoline, was en route from India to South Africa when a "security incident" occurred this morning, adding that all crew members are safe .

Ambrey Maritime Security said pirates in a sailboat opened fire on the tanker. Maritime security sources said the pirates also fired an RPG at the vessel.

The EU naval force said one of its ships was "close to the scene of the incident and is ready to take appropriate action to respond effectively to this alert regarding piracy."

The ship's operator says the crew is safe.

Officials from Diablos Maritime Security and Vanguard UK Maritime Risk Management said the crew members took refuge in a secure room on board the ship , which remains under their control .

An informed source explained that the ship's captain is from Montenegro. He added that five crew members are Greek nationals, and the rest are Filipino.

"All 24 crew members are safe and present and we remain in close contact with them," Latesco said in a statement.

The company added that it had activated its emergency response team. LATSCO confirmed it was coordinating with authorities to ensure the continued safety of its crew.

A maritime security source said, "The crew reported hearing a noise on board the ship."

The source added that a Japanese aircraft carried out a reconnaissance mission over the area, but did not detect any movement or signs of activity on board the ship.

The last similar incident occurred in May 2024, when suspected pirates boarded a Liberian-flagged vessel approximately 380 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. The 17-member crew was later rescued by EU naval forces after being lowered onto the ship using ropes.

In the first suspected piracy incident originating from Somalia since 2024, maritime sources said gunmen attacked a commercial tanker off the coast of Mogadishu on Monday and opened fire on the vessel after attempting to board it.

Maritime security sources also said that unidentified attackers seized an Iranian fishing boat this week for use in launching attacks.

The last previous piracy incident in which a ship was hijacked occurred in December 2023, when attackers hijacked the Maltese-flagged vessel Roanne to the Somali coast before the Indian Navy freed its crew and arrested the attackers.

The past few years have seen a relative lull in Somali pirate incidents, after they had been a major threat in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean region.

The Iranian-backed Houthi group in Yemen has posed a greater threat to shipping through the Red Sea since it first launched attacks on commercial vessels in November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians over the Israeli war on Gaza.

The Houthis agreed to a truce in which they would not target ships linked to the United States, but some shipping companies remain wary of resuming voyages through that region.

(Prepared by Amira Zahran and Hatem Ali for the Arabic Bulletin - Edited by Ayman Saad Muslim)