Britain has reported a "potential hijack" of a ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates as a security source said a tanker appears to have been seized.

UK Maritime Trade Operations, a part of the Ministry of Defence, described the incident as a "potential hijack".

A group of eight or nine armed individuals are believed to have boarded the vessel, named Asphalt Princess, the security source told Sky News.

"It was an unauthorised boarding in the Gulf of Oman," the security source said.

It comes as the Associated Press reported that at least four vessels sent out warnings saying they had lost control of their steering.

Oil tankers called Queen Ematha, Golden Brilliant, Jag Pooja and Abyss all reported through their Automatic Identification System trackers they were "not under command", according to MarineTraffic.com.

According to Associated Press the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations only warned ships that "an incident is currently underway," without elaborating. 

An Oman Royal Air Force Airbus C-295MPA, a maritime patrol aircraft, was flying over the area where the ships were, according to data from FlightRadar24.com.

The U.S. military's Mideast-based 5th Fleet and the British Defense Ministry did not immediately return calls for comment. The Emirati government did not immediately acknowledge the incident.

(With input from agencies)