(CNN) -- Pirates in the Gulf of Aden hijacked a chemical tanker carrying a crew of 15 Bulgarians on Tuesday, the European Union Naval Force Somalia said.
The Bulgarian-flagged tanker, the MV Panega, was about 100 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen, en route from the Red Sea to India, the force said in a news release.
"As long as the pirates are on board the ship, we are just monitoring the situation," said Anders Kallin, a Swedish navy commander for the EU naval force. He said he had no reason to believe that anyone had been hurt.
The force's Operation Atalanta focuses on escorting merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid for the World Food Programme and those of the African Union Mission in Somalia, protecting vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and deterring and disrupting piracy.
