Pirates have boarded a luxury French yacht off the coast of Somalia, taking its all 30 crew hostage, a French military spokesman said. The Ponant yacht "was the victim of an act of piracy", Christophe Prazuck was quoted as saying.
-AFP news agency.
The craft which sailed in one of the most Pirate-ridden regions (between Somalia and Yemen)...And dispite French AVISO, and U.S. Naval presence in the region... Pirates continue to pose a significant threat at sea.
US and French navies have been trying to tackle the problem by carrying out patrols... Remembering the successful Pirate stand-off:
The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement an "interministerial crisis cell" had been set up and it was in close contact with the yacht's owners... And France Info radio said surveillance aircraft had been diverted to the area and a ship from the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom was heading towards the site of the attack. More.
The spokesman added that the vessel was sailing between Somalia and Yemen and had no passengers on board... Le Ponant is a craft said to accommodate 56 passengers View more.
UPDATE: French Defense Ministry spokesman Christophe Prazuck declined to say whether French Navy ships would head to the site, but added that ships in anti-terrorist unit Task Force 150, part of Operation Enduring Freedom, were in the area...
