The ship, known as OS 35, was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to Aden in Yemen when it came under attack from Somali pirates on Saturday night.

The Indian defence ministry said four of its navy ships in the vicinity responded to a distress signal from the ship and reached the bulk carrier early on Sunday.

It said that the crew had taken refuge in the ship’s strong room, know as the citadel, once they learnt they were under attack – in line with established safe shipping operating procedures.

“An Indian navy helicopter undertook aerial reconnaissance of the merchant vessel at night, and at sunrise … [to] ascertain the location of pirates, if still on board,” the defence ministry said.

“Subsequently … a boarding party from the nearby Chinese navy ship went on board the merchant ship, while the Indian naval helicopter provided air cover.”

The defence ministry said all the 19 Filipino crew of the ship were safe and the captain of the ship thanked the Indian naval ships for their response and for providing air cover.

The Indian warships were in the region as part of an overseas deployment.

John Steed of aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy said the ship was sailing under navy escort to its next port.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which coordinates shipping in the Gulf of Aden area, said the pirates had used a skiff to approach the vessel.

The attempted hijacking came days after pirates seized an Indian dhow that was en route from Dubai to Bosaso in Somalia’s Puntland region.

Experts said some ship owners were becoming lax after a long period of calm, and that some were using a route known as the Socotra Gap, between Somalia and Socotra Island, regardless of the piracy risks, to save time and cost.

At their peak in 2011, pirates launched 237 attacks off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, and took hundreds of hostages.

Their actions cost the world economy US$7 billion (Dh25.7bn) and earned the pirates about $160 million in ransoms, according to the bureau.