EU force blows up 'pirate ship' in Indian Ocean.

A photo of a ship blown off at deep seas in Mombasa. /THE STAR
A photo of a ship blown off at deep seas in Mombasa. /THE STAR

The European Union Naval Force say they have blown up an abandoned boat from which pirates had attempted to hijack a Hong Kong-flagged ship on the Indian Ocean.

Suspected pirates shot at the bulk carrier earlier this month but the attack was unsuccessful.

The force says the boat was destroyed to deter further attacks.

A BBC colleague has tweeted a gif of the destruction of the suspected pirate boat:

The abandoned boat was tracked to a small bay by an EU warship that had been patrolling the Indian Ocean.

Tools usually used by pirates were found on board.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has fallen drastically over the last 10 years, largely due to the presence of EU and Nato warships on the Indian Ocean.

There has not been a successful attack for over a year and a half.

WATCH: The latest videos from the Star