A British ship came under fire in a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, but escaped with the help of a Russian warship.

The British-owned container vessel was chased for half an hour by the pirates, but managed to fend them off by increasing speed and making evasive manoeuvres.

“The container ship was attacked by at least one pirate boat with six pirates on board who fired two rocket-propelled grenades,” said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy reporting centre.

The British ship radioed for help, and two warships from Russia and India responded. The Russian vessel reached the area first, and sent a helicopter to scare away the attackers, he said.

“When the Russian helicopter and warship arrived the pirates then stopped the chase,” he said. The IMB was not able to release the name of the British vessel.