An anti-piracy watchdog has welcomed the destruction of a suspected Somali pirate vessel in the Gulf of Aden by an Indian navy warship.
INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it did not stop for investigation and instead opened fire, an Indian navy statement said on Wednesday.
There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.
The latest attack came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates.
The supertanker is now anchored off the Somali coast.On Wednesday, the Indian navy said the Tabar spotted the pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles (528km) south-west of Salalah in Oman on Tuesday evening.
The navy said the pirates on board were armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers.
When it commanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the navy statement said.
Pirates then fired on the Tabar and the Indians retaliated. There was an explosion and the pirate vessel sank.
Some of the pirates tried to escape on two speedboats.
The Indian sailors gave chase and one boat was later found abandoned, while a second boat escaped.
INS Tabar has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since 23 October, and has escorted 35 ships safely through the "pirate-infested waters", the statement said.
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