An Indian navy destroyer is pursuing a hijacked Liberian-flagged bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea on Friday.

The INS Chennai destroyer was closing in on the vessel's location to offer assistance after receiving a hijacking distress call, the navy said in a statement.

Around 15 Indian crew members are aboard the ship, local media reported.

Five or six "unknown armed personnel" had boarded the vessel on Thursday evening, the navy said.

The navy did not specify whether hijackers were currently in control of the ship but said an overhead patrol flight had ascertained the safety of the crew on Friday morning.

"The Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring safety of merchant shipping in the region along with international partners and friendly foreign countries," the statement said.

The reported hijacking is the latest incident of attacks on commercial shipping in the region.

Last month, a United States-led naval force deployed several warships into the Red Sea to "maintain a deterrent presence" after a string of recent shipping attacks, including a drone attack near India's coast blamed on Iran by the United States.

A drone attack hit the MV Chem Pluto tanker 200 to 370 kilometers off the coast of India.

Iran's foreign ministry rejected accusations of responsibility for that attack by Washington as "worthless."

Many merchant vessels have rerouted from the Red Sea, where Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have carried out drone and missile attacks in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling Hamas terrorists.