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Tokyo: Asian nations stepped up efforts on Wednesday to tackle recent piracy in Somali waters, with India saying it had destroyed a Somali pirate vessel in the Gulf of Aden and other nations considering sending their own navies to the area.
An Indian warship deployed in the Gulf of Aden fought Somali pirates and destroyed their vessel after a brief battle, the navy said on Wednesday.
Two speed boats fled the scene after the main vessel was blown up late on Tuesday.
"INS Tabar retaliated in self defence and opened fire on the mother vessel," the navy said in a statement. "As a result of the firing by INS Tabar, fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored on the vessel."
Naval oficers said they spotted pirates moving on the deck with rocket propelled grenade launchers.
"On repeated calls, the vessel's threatening response was that she would blow up the naval warship," the navy said.
Meanwhile, Asian nations considered sending in more forces to curb the spiraling piracy.
South Korea said it will likely add its own warships to the international naval operation, while the Nikkei financial daily in Japan said the government is considering submitting a bill next year authorising the dispatch of navy vessels to the area.
"We believe this is a very serious issue, to be confronted jointly by the international community," Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama said, adding that no decision had been taken yet.
South Korean media said the Defence Ministry wanted to send at least one destroyer to the region. If parliament approves the measure, ships would likely be deployed early next year.
Malaysia is set to pull its one remaining warship out of the area for cost reasons and the Thai navy has no plans to escort its vessels, despite the fact that several Thai nationals and at least one Thai-owned vessel have been captured recently.
A Saudi supertanker seized by pirates with a $100 million oil cargo in the world's biggest ship hijacking reached Somalia on Tuesday, as reports of further hijackings trickled in.
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