India sank Thai ship atacked by pirates - IMB

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - The Somali pirate "mother ship" that the Indian Navy sank in the Gulf of Aden last week was actually a Thai ship carrying fishing equipment that was being hijacked, an anti-piracy watchdog said on Wednesday.

"This mistaken identity may have caused the incident," said Noel Choong, head of the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau's anti-piracy reporting centre, adding that the incident should not hamper the fight against piracy.

Choong said the ship was being taken over by armed pirates when an Indian warship fired on it.

The Indian government said Thailand had asked for information about the incident, but insisted on Wednesday the Indian ship fired in self-defence.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest sea routes, has surged this year and this month pirates captured a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million worth of oil, the largest seizure ever.

In the Nov. 18 incident, one crew member of the Thai ship, Ekawat Nava 5, was killed, one rescued and 14 are missing.

Wicharn Sirichaiekawat, owner of the ship, said on Tuesday an Indian frigate, INS Tabar, had sunk his vessel suspecting it was a pirate ship, CNN reported.

He said the ship, carrying fishing equipment, was on the way to Yemen from Oman when it was set upon by pirates off the Horn of Africa. The pirates were seizing control of the ship when the INS Tabar moved in.

Naval officers on board the warship said they spotted pirates moving on deck with rocket propelled grenade launchers.