It was one of the notorious Somali pirates' first defeats - and now the Indian Navy has released spectacular evidence of their sinking of a hostile ship.

The vessel, reportedly a pirate 'mother ship', exploded after an exchange with the Indian frigate INS Tabar in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia a week ago.

When the pirates opened fire, the captain of the Indian vessel retaliated, hit the ship straight on, and it burst into flames and sank.

The situation in the waters off the Somalian coast seems to be coming to a head. Pirates recently hijacked the Saudi Arabian-owned supertanker 'Sirius Star', and it was anchored near the African country.

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But after threats from Islamists to ambush the ship, the pirates navigated it back out into the open sea. They are demanding a €12 million ransom for its safe return, according to Arab media.

The German Navy has also been helping in the fight against the pirates. On Sunday, the frigate ‘Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’ sent its onboard helicopter to help two cargo vessels. The freighters had been attacked by pirates in speedboats.