Pirates are notorious for having shifting and disguised identities, which makes catching or even confronting them a major problem. The story of the pirate ship destroyed by the Indian Navy is a good example of the problem:

The alleged pirate ship that was blasted out of the water by the Indian Navy in the Gulf of Aden last week was actually a legitimate Thai fishing trawler that had been seized by pirates earlier in the day, the boat’s owner said Wednesday.

The hijacking of the Ekawat Nava 5 far out at sea; its apparent and immediate conversion to a “mother ship” for the pirates; the gunfight that led to its fiery nighttime sinking; and the harrowing tale of a lone surviving crewman illustrate the dangers and the legal undertow that surround many of the recent hijackings in East African waters.

The story covers the legal issues on the high seas as well as the firefight between the pirates and the Indian Navy that destroyed a private vessel and killed the crew, but did not harm the pirates.