Malta-flagged ship hijacked in the Arabian sea, several vessels attacked in the region

Maltese authorities are monitoring a possible security incident in the Arabian sea involving a Malta-flagged ship. 

In a statement on Friday, Transport Malta said the ship encountered difficulties on Thursday morning whilst underway to Turkey.

The ship is managed by a Bulgarian management company called Navigation Maritime Bulgare and has a crew of 18 seafarers of Bulgarian, Angolan and Myanmar nationalities. 

"The situation is being closely monitored by the Maltese authorities together with internaitonal partners," the statement reads.

No further details were given on the security incident. 

According to information on MarineTraffic, the ship's last position as received three hours ago was in the middle of the Arabian sea, possibly heading to the Gulf of Aden.

There have been a series of attacks on ships in the area recently, with shipping company Maersk pausing journeys through the Red Sea strait due to the attacks.

According to Maersk, one of its ships had been travelling from Oman to Saudi Arabia when it was fired upon near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Iran-aligned Houthis of Yemen have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and firing drones and missiles at Israel, with an aim to supporting Palestinians in the Gaza war.