Pirates Seize French Yacht With 30 Aboard

Vessel Boarded On High Seas Off Coast Of Somalia In Indian Ocean

(CBS/AP)  Pirates seized control of a French luxury yacht carrying 30 crew members Friday in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's coast, the French government and the ship's owner said.

Attackers stormed the 288-foot Le Ponant as it returned without passengers from the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, toward the Mediterranean Sea, said officials with French maritime transport company CMA-CGM.

"This is a blatant act of piracy," Prime Minister Francois Fillon told reporters while on a visit to Brussels. "The Defense and Foreign Ministries are mobilized to act as quickly as possible, I hope in the coming minutes or hours to try to win the freedom of these hostages."

He did not elaborate. France has considerable military resources in the region, including a base in Djibouti and a naval flotilla circulating in the Indian Ocean.

A French frigate, Le Commandant Bouan, was temporarily diverted from its role in the naval arm of Operating Enduring Freedom to track the yacht, military spokesman Cmdr. Christophe Prazuck said. A Canadian helicopter on the HCMS Charlottetown was also taking part, he said.

The nearest U.S. ship is 100 miles away with Marines on board, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

The yacht was in the high seas in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's coast in the Indian Ocean, the French Foreign ministry said. At least some of the crew members are French, and no other nationalities were specified.

"French authorities are handling the situation," Jean-Emmanuel Sauvee, managing director of La Compagnie des Iles du Ponant, told reporters in the southeastern city of Marseille, where his subsidiary of CMA-CGM is based. The company did not want to comment further so as not to endanger the crew members held hostage, he said.

French military spokesman Prazuck declined to say what type of military operation might be planned, and said he did not know the exact location of the yacht.

According to the company's Web site, the three-mast boat features four decks, two restaurants, and indoor and outdoor luxury lounges. It can hold up to 64 passengers.

Le Ponant was next scheduled to carry passengers as part of a 10-day, 7-night trip from Alexandria, Egypt, to Valletta, Malta starting April 19. Prices started at $3,465, not including air fare or taxes.

Pirates seized more than two dozen ships off Somalia's coast last year.

Denmark's government paid a ransom to win the release in August of the crew of a Danish cargo ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates some two months after they were taken captive.

The U.S. Navy has led international patrols to try to combat piracy in the region. Last year, the guided missile destroyer USS Porter opened fire to destroy pirate skiffs tied to a Japanese tanker.

Wracked by more than a decade of violence and anarchy, Somalia does not have its own navy, and a transitional government formed in 2004 with U.N. help has struggled to assert control.

The International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy, said in its annual report earlier this year that global pirate attacks rose 10 percent in 2007, marking the first increase in three years.

[cfin5]

Oh boy are those pirates in trouble now! Now they will have to deal with A French Surrender, and all that it entails. See what happened to the Nazis after they made the French surrender!

Posted by RingADing3 at 02:05 PM : Apr 05, 2008

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Easy they''''ll collaborate with the pirates LOL.

Posted by bgwinnett at 05:17 PM : Apr 05, 2008------French socialists do that just like American socialists. Only diff''s the language.

[bgwinnett]

Oh boy are those pirates in trouble now! Now they will have to deal with A French Surrender, and all that it entails. See what happened to the Nazis after they made the French surrender!

Posted by RingADing3 at 02:05 PM : Apr 05, 2008

* * * * *

Easy they''ll collaborate with the pirates LOL.

[rafterman1]

===See what happened to the Nazis after they made the French surrender!===
Posted by RingADing3

The French ended up surrendering to the Nazis due to poor political leadership and bad military planning, not cowardice. Otherwise, you''d have to consider the British cowards too after the evacuation from Dunkirk, which of course they were not. It was the French resistence fighters who tied up a division of German soldiers from the Eastern front.

In WWI, it was the French who contributed the most forces, suffered the most casualties and endured the most destruction in holding the Western front from Germany.

Going back to the Revolutionary War, America would not have won our independence without France and their military aid. France is America''s first and oldest ally.

Just because France didn''t jump through hoops like Bush wanted (now let''s talk about incompetent political leadership, another thing we share with France) doesn''t mean the French are cowardly or should be disrespected. America owes a great debt to France, a debt that assistence in WWII alone does not repay.

[ringading3]

Oh boy are those pirates in trouble now! Now they will have to deal with A French Surrender, and all that it entails. See what happened to the Nazis after they made the French surrender!

[bm6005]

mike78746

a) I''ve been reading reports of Somali pirates for probably 15-20 years.
b) There is a lot of pirate activity in south asia also. They use the latest armament and fast boats.
c) Just recently a hi tech noise generator was used to repel (surprise) Somali pirates from a cruise ship.
d) Personally I don''t care which method is used to repel boarders. 50 cal or noise generator.

[Latrocinor]

This is ridiculous. There are no pirates these days. CBS must think we are children. I have been in the Indian Ocean and never saw any pirates there. Utter nonsense and poppycock.

Posted by mike78746 at 10:45 AM : Apr 05, 2008
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Thank you for providing people an example of adult egocentric attitude. Excellent job.

The Indian, Thai, Malaysian, etc. etc. Newspapers frequently publish stories about pirate activity.

[gbdmd]

"This is ridiculous. There are no pirates these days. CBS must think we are children. I have been in the Indian Ocean and never saw any pirates there. Utter nonsense and poppycock."
__________________________________

I am constantly amazed at the sheer ignorance of people. Be grateful that you''ve never seen a pirate. And no... modern day pirates don''t look like Captain Hook or Captain Jack. Maybe if you read more than fairy tales, you would actually learn something.

[johnfrost-2009]

These criminals must be killed to teach the rest a lesson. Expell all Somali cabbies from Minnesota!! Some of them kille our pilots in Mogadishu. Expell them now with their families and children. Forever!!!

[mike78746]

This is ridiculous. There are no pirates these days. CBS must think we are children. I have been in the Indian Ocean and never saw any pirates there. Utter nonsense and poppycock.

[bgwinnett]

CLECROIX

Their criminals not terrorists. Since when do terrorists
make a ransom demand instead of a political one, and therefore thats why pirates have treasure.

[ioweign]

CBS can''t you even TRY to get it right? You would have us believe ther are still pirates sailing around the world? Come on, we are not that stupid

Posted by CLECROIX at 08:14 AM : Apr 05, 2008

You are proving a case - but it is NOT yours...

[rafterman1]

==You would have us believe ther are still pirates sailing around the world? Come on, we are not that stupid===
Posted by CLECROIX

Yes, there are pirates sailing around the world. Modern day high seas criminals who rob ships. Except now they use high speed motor boats and Uzis and RPGs to take ships.

[bgwinnett]

They should have played some French pop music on loudspeaker, that would have kept the pirates at bay.

[mjvw2]

this must be george bush''s fault

[cooman4]

In response to "do what muhammad did". It is a shame that radical Islam has to distort meaning in their own Bible, the Koran. It is this reason that Islam is so detested and hated through out the world. Why does the West dislike Islam, just think of all the innocents and the other sad collateral damage that their hatred brings upon others.
Personally, I feel that some of the dred that is brought upon the innocent peoples that are abused by these radicals, should be brought back in return. Guantanamo Bay is a day camp compared to the beheadings and persecutions of the the radicals. I know that this idea has been brought up: rap the radicals they catch in pig skin and force feed them pork. Make a terrorist offense an automatic death penalty for anyone caught doing such an act; being affilliated with a terrorist organization; publishing the praise of and recruiting terrorists; deporting anyone from a country that supports these organizations in any capacity.

[on_alert247]

They''re just doing what Muhammad did.

From the Surah Al-Anfal:
37. In order that Allah may distinguish the wicked (disbelievers, polytheists and doers of evil deeds) from the good (believers of Islamic Monotheism and doers of righteous deeds), and put the wicked (disbelievers, polytheists and doers of evil deeds) one on another, heap them together and cast them into Hell. Those! it is they who are the losers.



39. And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism: i.e. worshipping others besides Allah) and the religion (worship) will all be for Allah Alone [in the whole of the world ]. But if they cease (worshipping others besides Allah), then certainly, Allah is All-Seer of what they do.

40. And if they turn away, then know that Allah is your Maul%uFFFD (Patron, Lord, Protector and Supporter, etc.), (what) an Excellent Maul%uFFFD, and (what) an Excellent Helper!

41. And know that whatever of war-booty that you may gain, verily one-fifth (1/5th) of it is assigned to Allah, and to the Messenger, and to the near relatives [of the Messenger (Muhammad )], (and also) the orphans, Al-Mas%uFFFDkin (the poor) and the wayfarer, if you have believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our slave (Muhammad ) on the Day of criterion (between right and wrong), the Day when the two forces met (the battle of Badr) - And Allah is Able to do all things.

[piercetheval]

AAAAAAAaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr!

[gbdmd]

"Hmmm, Pirates, Somalia, attackers, Middle East? Sounds like Islamic militant jihadists to me. CBS can''''t you even TRY to get it right? You would have us believe ther are still pirates sailing around the world? Come on, we are not that stupid."
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WOW. I am amazed at the cynicism here. Yes, pirates exist. Pirating is a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise and has existing for as long as there are vessels at sea. My heart goes out to the victims of this latest tragedy.

For all of you making glib and heartless comments. May none of you suffer the horror of being attacked during any of your personal pursuits. It is a shame that such crimes take place, but even more of a shame that so many of you actually JOKE about these things.

It is clear that the world is a cold and heartless place, and I''m not talking about the pirates.

[clecroix]

Hmmm, Pirates, Somalia, attackers, Middle East? Sounds like Islamic militant jihadists to me. CBS can''t you even TRY to get it right? You would have us believe ther are still pirates sailing around the world? Come on, we are not that stupid

[miami_21]

a view from behind bars; is it surprising that the french allow this boat to be taken?