( CNN ) -- Pirates in the Indian Ocean attacked and boarded an Italian flagged and owned oil tanker on Tuesday , the European Union Naval Force Somalia said . The incident occurred 670 nautical miles east of Yemen 's Socotra Island . The MV Savina Caylyn was headed from Sudan to Malaysia when five people on a skiff launched a `` sustained attack '' on the tanker with small arms and rocket propelled grenades and then got on the ship . At present , there is no communication with the vessel and no information on the status of the 22-person crew , which includes 17 Indians and five Italians .
The incident occurred in the Indian Ocean . A spokesman for the US Navy said it was aware of a "potential incident" involving an American aircraft carrier and its strike group.