Suspected pirates board merchant vessel off coast of Somalia

Attackers firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades boarded a tanker carrying gasoline off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, authorities said, likely the latest assault by resurgent Somali pirates operating in the region.

A series of recent attacks attributed to Somali pirates had put shippers on edge even before Thursday’s seizure of the Malta-flagged Hellas Aphrodite. The capture of the vessel represents the first commercial…