A Danish-owned cargo ship was attacked by pirates early Thursday, but armed guards onboard managed to fight them off, a maritime industry newsletter reported, quoting the ship owner.

"From what I have heard, the attack took place at 8:40 in the morning, when two speed boats each carrying four pirates attacked the ship from behind," ship owner Nordana's chief executive Lars Steen Rasmussen told Maritime Danmark.

Rasmussen, who could not be immediately reached for comment by AFP, told the newsletter "the pirates shot at the ship and their was a short fire-fight between the pirates and the armed guards onboard before the pirates decided to break off the attack."

No one had been hurt in the attack, which took place about 25 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen, he said.

The large cargo ship, called Brattingborg, which sails under a Singapore flag and had a crew of Thai nationals, had two armed guards onboard on its voyage from the Suez Canal towards India, according to Maritime Danmark.

"This is the first time we have had armed guards onboard one of our ships. We chose to do this because the ship is not very fast and has a low deck," Rasmussen said.

"Considering the attack, I must say this was the right decision," he added.

Thursday's news came a week after seven Danes, including three adolescents, were captured by pirates in the Indian Ocean around 300 nautical miles from Somalia.

According to reports Thursday, the Danes have been sailed to Somalia and were being held on a larger ship with many other hostages off the coast of the war-torn country.

The Danish foreign ministry said late Wednesday the pirates and the hostages had been contacted and that the seven Danes were doing well considering the circumstances.

Friends and acquaintances told AFP the Danes were experienced and risk-averse sailors, but the family's blog entries prior to the attack showed they knew Indian Ocean waters were infested with pirates and were taking measures to avoid being captured.

There was meanwhile some confusion about whether a Danish warship would continue fighting pirates in the area under NATO operational control.

The Danish defence ministry first announced Thursday morning that the Esbern Snare's mission was over and it would sail home next week, but a few hours later, Foreign Minister Lene Espersen said she was against the move.

"In light of the (Danish hostage) situation, I think it would be very reasonable to hit the pause button and consider whether it would not be a good idea to prolong the Esbern Snare's mandate," she told the Ritzau news agency.