The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has advised of a potential hijack incident underway off the coast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

The warning notice, based on a third-party source, advised vessels in the area to exercise extreme caution in the area, around 61 nautical miles east of Fujairah.

Maritime security consultancy Dryad Global reported the incident involved the Panama-flagged asphalt tanker, Asphalt Princess.

According to reports, a group of eight or nine armed individuals are believed to have boarded the vessel.

At least four other ships broadcast warnings that they had lost control of their steering under unclear circumstances.

The Singapore-flagged product tanker Golden Brilliant, the Cook Islands-flagged asphalt tanker Kamdhenu, the Guyana-flagged product tanker Queen Ematha and the India-flagged Jag Pooja all reported that they were not under command, according to MarineTraffic.

Unconfirmed reports also stated that the ships hit mines and that Golden Brilliant was one of the ships reported to be attacked after it started moving.