Seychelles Coast Guard patrol boat sunk to serve as artificial reef

Topaz's operational history in Seychelles Coast Guard service was marked by multiple successful operations, particularly against Somali pirates targeting commercial ships in the Indian Ocean.

On April 30, 2010, the patrol boat participated in the successful rescue of six Seychellois and 21 Iranian sailors who had been taken hostage by nine Somali pirates aboard a small dhow. The pirates had attempted to retreat to the relative safety of the Somali coast, thus prompting Seychelles' then-President James Michel to order the coast guard to use any means necessary to prevent the dhow from escaping.

In the ensuing battle, Topaz was able to avoid getting hit by rocket-propelled grenades while managing to disable the dhow's engines using her own 12.7mm machine guns. All of the dhow's occupants later jumped into the water as the vessel's engine caught fire.