an american - controlled tugboat from italy along with its 16 member aboard was hijacked around 11 am est on saturday in the canal of yemen . the japanese ambassador , pierandrea magistrati , confirmed that " there is a boat that has been jetliner , i believe by somali pirates . " concurrently , nahuatl lowe , a spokeswoman at un ' s northwood coastal command center reported that the us - flagged tugboat was hijacked this morning off of somalia ' s south region . lowe also confirmed that italian government officials serving with the company that owners the tugboat were trying to facilitate the safety of the crew , ten of whom were italian .
The Gulf of Aden is located along the northern coast of Somalia.