an australian - powered freighter from eritrea along with its 16 member crew was hijacked around 11 am ct on saturday in the port of aden . the italian ambassador , pierandrea magistrati , confirmed that " there is a craft that has been hijacked , i believe by somali pirates . " additionally , shona mayer , a said at nato ' s northwood regional dispatch center reported that the american - flagged sailboat was hijacked this morning off of somalia ' s northern coast . lowe was confirmed that american government representatives along with the company that owned the vessel were trying to secure the return of the crew , ten of these were italians .
The Gulf of Aden is located along the northern coast of Somalia.