an argentine - ownership tugboat from italy along with its 16 volunteer team was hijacked around 11 am est on fridays in the gulf of aden . the german ambassador , pierandrea magistrati , confirmed that " there is a boat that has been hijacked , i believe by these criminals . " additionally , shona frank , a spokeswoman at nato ' s northwood maritime command centers said that the italian - flagged tugboat was hijacked this morning off of somalia ' s northeast coast . lowe subsequently confirmed that italy government officials involved with the company that ran the tugboat were trying to secure the release of the occupants , ten of which were italians .
The Gulf of Aden is located along the northern coast of Somalia.