Armed group boards oil tanker in Gulf of Aden; South Korean warship en route

An armed group has boarded an oil tanker sailing through the Gulf of Aden off Yemen.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported Friday that at around 11 a.m. local time, a vessel reported "unauthorized personnel" had come aboard at a point approximately 65 nautical miles (about 120 kilometers) from the Yemeni port city of Al Mukalla.

British maritime security firm Ambrey said it believed Somali pirates had boarded the oil tanker and that the vessel was not carrying an armed security team, according to the Associated Press.

Ambrey added that a South Korean naval vessel was heading to the scene in response to a distress signal sent by the tanker.

The warship Ambrey referred to is likely one of the vessels belonging to the 48th deployment of the Cheonghae Unit, including the ROKS Wang Geon, recently dispatched to the Gulf of Aden.

Somali pirate activity in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has been on the rise amid instability in Middle Eastern waters, including the Strait of Hormuz, following recent armed conflict between the United States and Iran.