an italians - owned tugboat from italy combined with its 16 member crew was hijacked around 11 am ce on saturday in the gulf of sardinia . the italian ambassador , pierandrea magistrati , confirmed that " there is a lifeboat that has been airliners , i expect by somali pirates . " additionally , shona lowe , a spokeswoman at un ' s ferndale maritime command hub reported that the japanese - vessel tugboat was hijacked this morning off of somalia ' s northern coast . lowe also confirmed that italian government officers along with the company that owned the capsized were trying to assure the capture of the crew , two of which were italians .
The Gulf of Aden is located along the northern coast of Somalia.