35 ships have been escorted by Tabar in the Gulf of Aden.

NEW DELHI: After the pirates ignored its summons for nearly 20 minutes, the INS Tabar began heavy fire to sink a pirate “mother vessel.” INS Tabar attempted to issue a few “warning shots” in the air, but to no avail. After almost 90 minutes of this cat-and-mouse game, during which INS Tabar repeatedly pleaded with the pirates to give up their weapons, the pirates abruptly opened fire on the warship at 9.17 p.m., either out of terror or presumably in an effort to scare it away. That ultimately led to their downfall. Six minutes later, the Indian frigate, which had suffered only little damage, reacted with its Kashtan 30mm six-barrel Gatling automatic cannons, which are useful for air defense but are also efficient against small sea targets. The pirate dhow got a number of hits, resulting in a number of explosions on it. Another cop said that “almost simultaneously, the two speedboats were seen breaking off to escape.” “A fire also broke out, probably due to the exploding ammunition stored on the dhow,” stated the other officer. While the second boat successfully eluded capture in the darkness, INS Tabar pursued one of the boats and discovered it to be abandoned. The last time the INS Tabar saw the pirate mother vessel, it was at 11.47 p.m., when it was dangerously leaning to one side. When asked about casualties among the pirate ranks, the officer responded, “It was dark…we did not go looking for bodies. Some pirates escaped on the second speedboat.” Most likely, it sank not long after, even as the battleship sailed to perform its usual patrolling duties. The INS Tabar has successfully escorted roughly 35 ships, some of which are flying foreign flags, since its deployment for anti-piracy duties in the Gulf of Aden on November 2, when it replaced the former Godvari-class frigate stationed there, according to the officer. Of course, INS Tabar had successfully foiled numerous attempts by various pirate bands.