A small boat with five people on board approached a tanker sailing about 200 nautical miles (just over 350 kilometers) west of the Yemeni island of Socotra, Reuters reported, citing information from the British Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) today.
The tanker's armed security team was mobilized and the small boat diverted its course away from the merchant vessel, the agency said, quoted by BTA.
Reuters is not giving further details yet.
Socotra is located in the Arabian Sea, at the exit of the Gulf of Aden.