Hostages Released from Pirates on Luxury Yacht Le Ponant

France's military is keeping a close eye on the French luxury yacht La Ponant which was seized by pirates off Somalia's coast yesterday.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said officials were "following the hostage situation minute by minute." 

"We are in constant contact with the ship owner, and our priority is to protect the lives of the people on board," Fillon said. "All channels of discussion are open to try to resolve this case by trying not to use force."

The crew of La Ponant includes 22 French citizens, including six women, according to French Defense Minister Herve Morin.

About 10 attackers continued to guide the boat south along Somalia's eastern coast.

A French frigate, Le Commandant Bouan, was temporarily diverted from NATO duties and was tracking the yacht. An airplane dispatched from a French base in Djibouti flew over the yacht and all was calm aboard, military spokesman Cmdr. Christophe Prazuck said.

PARIS (AFP) — The French military on Sunday kept up its surveillance of a hijacked French luxury cruise yacht with about 30 crew as it was taken toward a pirate lair off northeast Somalia, officials said.

French Defence Minister Herve Morin said there could be no military intervention unless the safety of the crew, 22 French nationals and about 10 Ukrainians, could be guaranteed.

Any order to launch a military operation "cannot be taken unless there is certainty that this will happen in secure conditions that preserve the integrity of the crew," he said.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon insisted that the government's priority was to ensure the safety of all those on board the yacht.

Somali officials said that the 32-cabin yacht, the Ponant, was seized on Friday.

Since then a dozen pirates had stayed on board and it had travelled more than 400 kilometres (249 miles) south, along the Somali coast.

"We are getting information that the pirates are now moving towards southern coastal area of Garaad where I believe they will stay," said Abdullahi Said Aw-Yusuf, an official with the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

Garaad is an area bordering the Puntland itself.

"They are well-armed pirates from Puntland region, so they cannot go far beyond Garaad," he added.

The company that owns the yacht said on Sunday that its crew were thought to be unharmed. "All we know is that they are well, that they are safe and sound," said a spokesman for the French shipping firm CMA-CGM.

The father of one crew member, Thibaut Garrec, 20, called on the French state to "use its diplomatic levers" to secure their safe release.

"If that means paying a ransom, then let's find a way, but we have to free them," said Ronan Garrec.

But France had still to receive any word from the hijackers. The authorities were playing a waiting game, although France's marine commandos and the elite police intervention GIGN were on alert.

Morin told Europe 1 radio on Sunday that French authorities were monitoring the yacht "from a distance using military means that enable them to have a perfect observation and knowledge of the situation."

There had been no communication from the pirates, he said.

Photos of the yacht shown by French media have shown the pirates on the bridge of the Ponant and on two zodiac boats being towed by the yacht.

Pirate attacks are among the world's most dangerous, and frequent off Somalia's 3,700-kilometre (2,300-mile) coastline. The International Maritime Bureau advises sailors not to venture closer than 200 nautical miles to its shore.

The French navy has been called on in recent months to escort World Food Programme boats through Somali waters, after two of the agency's boats were stolen.

The three-masted 850-tonne Ponant, equipped with lounges, bar and restaurant, had been due to host a cruise between Alexandria in Egypt and Valletta in Malta on April 21-22, its Marseille-based owner said.

Garrec's mother Valerie said her son telephoned on Wednesday to tell her he was entering dangerous waters.

"He told us he was in a pirate zone. We thought that sounded dangerous. But we had no idea we would be getting a call two days later to say he was taken hostage."

Somali pirates usually demand ransom once the ship has reached a port. In mid-March, a Russian tug boat and six crew members were released on a 700,000 thousand dollar (450,000 euros) ransom, after being held captive for six weeks. Somalia, which lies at the mouth of the Red Sea on a major trade route between Asia and Europe via the Suez Canal, has not had a functional government since the 1991 ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

It has since been ravaged by civil war, with multiple warlords controlling different zones, while the transitional government, backed by Ethiopia, controls very few parts of the country.

The ad hoc government often clashes with Islamist militias that the US has accused of being linked to Al Qaeda.

PARIS (AFP) — France has made contact with pirates holding a luxury French cruise yacht with around 30 crew off the coast of Somalia, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a radio interview Sunday.

"We've made contact and the matter could last a long time," Kouchner told France Inter. "Our contact needs to be fruitful and we have to do everything to avoid bloodshed."

He did not rule out the payment of a ransom to secure the release of the crew -- 22 French nationals and around 10 Ukrainians.

The French military kept up its surveillance of the hijacked vessel as it was taken toward a pirate lair off northeast Somalia, officials said earlier.

French Defence Minister Herve Morin said there could be no military intervention unless the safety of the crew could be guaranteed.

Any order to launch a military operation "cannot be taken unless there is certainty that this will happen in secure conditions that preserve the integrity of the crew," he said.

Somali officials said that the 32-cabin yacht, the Ponant, was seized on Friday.

Since then a dozen pirates had stayed on board and it had travelled more than 400 kilometres (249 miles) south, along the Somali coast.

"We are getting information that the pirates are now moving towards the southern coastal area of Garaad where I believe they will stay," said Abdullahi Said Aw-Yusuf, an official with the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

Garaad is an area bordering the Puntland itself.

"They are well-armed pirates from Puntland region, so they cannot go far beyond Garaad," he added.

The company that owns the yacht said on Sunday that its crew were thought to be unharmed. "All we know is that they are well, that they are safe and sound," said a spokesman for the French shipping firm CMA-CGM.

The father of one crew member, Thibaut Garrec, 20, called on the French state to "use its diplomatic levers" to secure their safe release.

"If that means paying a ransom, then let's find a way, but we have to free them," said Ronan Garrec.

Photos of the yacht shown by French media have shown the pirates on the bridge of the Ponant and on two zodiac boats being towed by the yacht.

Pirate attacks are among the world's most dangerous and frequent off Somalia's 3,700-kilometre (2,300-mile) coastline. The International Maritime Bureau advises sailors not to venture closer than 200 nautical miles to its shore.

The French navy has been called on in recent months to escort World Food Programme boats through Somali waters, after two of the agency's vessels were stolen.

The three-masted 850-tonne Ponant, equipped with lounges, bar and restaurant, had been due to host a cruise between Alexandria in Egypt and Valletta in Malta on April 21-22, its Marseille-based owner said.

Garrec's mother Valerie said her son telephoned on Wednesday to tell her he was entering dangerous waters.

"He told us he was in a pirate zone. We thought that sounded dangerous. But we had no idea we would be getting a call two days later to say he was taken hostage."

Somali pirates usually demand ransom once the ship has reached a port. In mid-March, a Russian tug boat and six crew members were released on a 700,000 thousand dollar (450,000 euros) ransom, after being held captive for six weeks. Somalia, which lies at the mouth of the Red Sea on a major trade route between Asia and Europe via the Suez Canal, has not had a functional government since the 1991 ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

It has since been ravaged by civil war, with multiple warlords controlling different zones, while the transitional government, backed by Ethiopia, controls very few parts of the country.

The ad hoc government often clashes with Islamist militias that the US has accused of being linked to Al Qaeda.

We have received unconfirmed reports that the yacht Le Ponant has moored near the northern Somali town of Eyl with all 30 crew members aboard as hostages.

According to AP a French diplomat stated that the hostages had all been provided with food, and given the opportunity to wash. The diplomat declined to say how the officials had learned of this information.

I know someone held hostage on there can someone email me if you hear they got released pls? 

Sam

[email address deleted for security reasons] 

Reuters: Elite French troops have been dispatched to East Africa to bolster an effort to free the crew of a yacht that was seized by pirates off Somalia, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Monday.

A team of French commandos who conduct anti-terrorist and hostage rescue operations was being sent to Djibouti to "reinforce" a group that was trying to negotiate with the pirates, the spokeswoman, Pascale Andreani, said in an Internet briefing.

The pirates seized the yacht, Le Ponant, in the Gulf of Aden on Friday. It was carrying 30 crew members, including 22 French citizens, but no passengers.

 
French officials made contact with the pirates on Sunday. "We had confirmation that the crew was safe and sound and well-treated," Andreani said. "Our priority is the safety of the hostages."

A French military spokesman, Commander Christophe Prazuck, said the situation aboard the yacht remained "calm" Monday.

But witnesses in Garaad, Somalia, said Monday that the pirates had opened fire at local gunmen who stopped them from coming ashore.

Residents said late Sunday that the hijackers tried to land at Garaad, a fishing village in central Somalia, but that gunmen working for the local authorities made it clear they were not welcome.

The yacht was moored Monday at Garacade, near the town of Eyl in the northern region of Puntland, French officials said.

Over the weekend, military officials said that a French frigate had been diverted from its NATO duties and was tracking the yacht.

Eyl, Somalia - According to Radio Garowe, Abdullahi Said O’Yusuf the mayor of Eyl, a small village on the coast of northern Somalia, refutes media reports that the Le Ponant has anchored near the village of Eyl.

The mayor of Eyl told Radio Garowe today that the hijacked yacht had passed Eyl and headed south toward the coastal waters off the region of Mudug, in Somalia.

Mayor O’Yusuf said that the people of Eyl would “not allow” the pirates to dock near their small fishing village.

MOGADISHU (AFP) — Somali officials on Monday urged tough action against pirates holding a French yacht after an elite French paramilitary unit was placed on standby to intervene if negotiations fail.

The local governor in Somalia's breakaway northern region of Puntland, Musa Ghelle Yusuf, said he would be "happy... to see the pirates killed" as a small French warship, the Commandant Bouan, maintained permanent surveillance of the vessel.

"The French and American ships must attack the pirates. They have our blessing," Ghelle told AFP by phone, adding that the hijackers have been encouraged by ransoms paid in previous ship seizures.

"These pirates are terrorists and there is no need to negotiate with them," Ghelle said. "Attacking them will solve future piracy plans."

In Paris, a defence source said troops from the gendarmerie's elite counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit were sent to Djibouti where they will remain until further orders.

The 32-cabin yacht Ponant, with around 30 crew members, was captured Friday. On Monday, it lay anchored off Puntland, which is relatively peaceful and has proclaimed autonomy from the rest of the conflict-wracked country.

Bile Mohamoud Ali, an advisor to Puntland's president, had said the hijackers were heading to Haradere port, a pirate haven some 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of the Somali capital Mogadishu.

However, naval Captain Christophe Prazuck of French military command later said the ship remained moored in waters near Garacad on the eastern Somali coast.

"Since (Sunday) and its arrival off this village, the situation remains unchanged and calm," Prazuck said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to host family members of the crew at the Elysee Monday afternoon.

The ship's owners, CMA CGM, stated that the crew were being "well treated".

"We know that members of the Ponant crew are on board and well treated," said a spokesman. "All we know is that they are in good spirits, that they are safe and well," he added.

The company said it was doing everything it could in consultation with the French government to ensure "the security of the hostages and bring about a speedy end to this crisis".

A family liaison group has been set up by the company, the spokesman adding that its "absolute priority is to support the families and respect their privacy in this difficult moment".

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Sunday that "we've made contact and the matter could last a long time."

He did not rule out the payment of a ransom to secure the release of the crew -- 22 French nationals and around 10 Ukrainians.

French Defence Minister Herve Morin said there could be no military intervention unless the safety of the crew could be guaranteed.

A senior Puntland government official said residents had been urged to fend off attempts by the pirates to come on shore and that two civilians were killed Sunday in clashes with the hijackers as they attempted to dock.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) called on the international community to boost security on the northern Somali coast.

The IMB's Malaysia-based Piracy Reporting Centre said anti-piracy activities, including patrols by coalition warships, had suppressed incidents on Somalia's east coast, but pirates had now headed north to the highly strategic Gulf of Aden.

"The UN Security Council or someone must take some form of action to stop these pirates from attacking innocent seafarers," its manager, Noel Choong, told AFP.

"There are a lot of tankers carrying vulnerable cargo, and we are worried about an environmental disaster if there's any attack on chemical or crude oil tankers," he added.

Somalia, which lies at the mouth of the Red Sea on a major trade route between Asia and Europe via the Suez Canal, has not had a functioning government since the 1991 ousting of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

Blessings to the crew. Hope they are with their loved ones soon. I look upon some people in this world with despair. May they reap what they sow. with payment tenfold

We have sailed on the two sister ships of Le Ponant and were expecting to board Le Ponant this weekend to sail through the Suez Canal. Our prayers are with the crew.Thank you for keeping this update so that we can check on the progress of negotiations.For whatever reason there is very little covergage in the U.S. news

NAIROBI (AFP) — Fresh supplies been delivered to hostages and kidnappers on a luxury yacht held for the last six days by pirates off the coast of Somalia, a local rights group said Wednesday.

"We have provided water and food, which the boat needed, and we will continue to give them what we can," Mohamud Abdulkadir 'John' of the Somali Tribal Rights Watch (STRW) organisation told AFP.

At the pirates' request, the 32-cabin Ponant was given the essentials it needs for them to bed in during lengthy ransom negotiations.

The ship remains moored in waters near a village, Garaad, on the north-eastern Somali coast, by the self-proclaimed autonomous region of Puntland.

The hostages, including 22 French nationals and six Filipinos, with early information identifying the remainder as Ukrainian nationals, were said by the STRW official to be in good health and not endangered by their captors.

"The pirates asked for food and water and we gave them what they wanted on humanitarian grounds," the representative said. "For now, we have nothing to do with this business beyond a humanitarian involvement.

"The hostages are not ill and they have not been threatened by their kidnappers. We will continue to monitor their humanitarian needs," the man added.

Another member of the non-governmental organisation told AFP that the abducted Ponant crew was "in good spirits".

A French naval warship has been maintaining close surveillance of the boat with troops from the French gendarmerie's elite counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit stationed in nearby Djibouti.
 

President Nicolas Sarkozy has met with the families of the French hostages, with Sarkozy's foreign minister Bernard Kouchner saying "contact" has been established in a bid to negotiate a release.

Experts have told AFP the Ponant is likely in the hands of a powerful armed gang known as the Somali Marines, structured along formal army lines and enjoying tribal warlord protection with separate business associates handling ransom talks.

Kouchner has himself said that negotiations could take some time, with these experts warning that pirates in the area -- ravaged by conflict since 1991 -- have been known to wait weeks or longer when seeking to maximise returns from higher-profile seizures.

Thank you for keeping an up to date account concerning the Le Ponant and crew. We saided on it in Sept. and it was the best experience we have ever had on a tour. The crew were top rate and we got to know them during our 10 day cruise. Our heart and prayer's are with them...Thanks again for the posting's. San Diegian's

Your information regarding the capture of Le Ponant and its crew is almost like a lifeline for me.. I just left the shiip on March 19, 2008 and am of course stunned by this news of its capture. This crew is a group of some of the most capable, hardworking, delightful, and wonderful young people. With only 51 in our group you know that we got to know many of them very well during our weeks on board. They are more than anonymous faces to us. How we pray for them and their families. The trip was a trip of a lifetime with an incredible crew. Please keep us posted with every bit you can find out. So far your information is the most up-to-date and complete of any I have found.

Thank you very much. Tana, Covina, CA

France - The families of the 22 French crew held hostage aboard Le Ponant have meet in Paris with President Nicolas Sarkozy as France talks to the Le Ponant’s pirates.

According to the Independant World, the Le Ponant "in the hands of the Somali 'marines', a loose network of fishermen-turned-pirates armed with satellite telephones and hand-held missiles."

While the French negotiate, they are also putting French special forces in place, leaving options open for a more forceful operation. The Le Ponant is being tracked from the air by surveillance aircraft, and from the water by battleships.

We sailed on Le Ponant last fall from Nice to Malta. The crew members are nice, hardworking and attractive young people who took very good care of all passengers. Our hearts go out to their families. We know they must be sick with worry over this situation. Surely it will have a positive outcome soon. Thank you for updating this site.

Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson (Paris, April 9, 2008)

 Q - Can you confirm that the GIGN group [Gendarmerie commando unit] sent to Djibouti is now deployed on a French ship ready to make an arrest or assault at sea after the hijacking of a French three-masted yacht by pirates off the coast of Somalia?

As I told you on April 7, the GIGN has been sent to Djibouti to support the negotiation. Our priority remains the security of the hostages. This is what President Sarkozy told the families yesterday when he met with them.

Q - Can you confirm that the Ministry’s crisis unit is predicting that it will take one or two months of negotiations with the pirates in Somalia to obtain the release of the Ponant’s crew?

It is impossible to predict how long this type of crisis will last. We hope the hostages will be released as soon as possible. All our efforts are directed to this end, and we tell the families this in our daily contacts with them.

We just departed Le Ponant on March 31st after a cruise of the Seychelle Islands. The crew is wonderful and we are praying for their safety and return. Our thoughts are with them and their families. Please keep us posted on the Le Ponant. Kathryn Bondoux

Manila, Philippines - According to the Global Nation, French Ambassador to the Philippines Gerard Chesnel said Thursday that he was “very confident” of the resolution of the April 4 hijack of the French registered luxury yacht Le Ponant which included six Filipinos among its crew.

Chesnel said that the French authorities were directly negotiating with the hijackers, since there was no effective government in Somalia. He also said that since communication had been established between the hijackers and the French authorities on Tuesday, there has been no news about the negotiations.

“This kind of negotiation has to be very secret if it is to be successful, but we are very confident that we will find a way,” he said. “We will do our best to free them.”

Foreign Affairs undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos said the Philippines would seek the assistance of France because the ship Le Ponant is French registered.  They will also seek the help of the United States 6th Fleet, which is part of a coalition patrolling the dangerous international waters.

When asked if France would similarly seek the assistance of the US, Chesnel said: “We don’t need that because we have our own force in the Indian Ocean. We have a very, very important presence in the Indian Ocean.”

all hostages are begin freed according to the below link http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jconyK933fpCseFvvdx4Ik2ASwMw

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080411/ap_on_re_af/somalia_pirate_attack;_ylt=Alu1piAcOhTYEeCorqT5FIqs0NUE See you in Valleta Cmor

on Belgian radio i just heard the trouble is over.

THE HOSTAGES HAVE BEEN FREED

PARIS (AFP) — The French military on Friday detained six pirates after they freed the 30 crew members of a French luxury sailing boat that had been seized a week ago off the coast of Somalia, officials said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier announced that the hostages including 22 French crew members of Le Ponant had been freed in an operation that took place "without incident."

Armed forces chief of staff General Jean-Louis Georgelin said that half of the hostage takers were arrested about one hour after they had released the crew and had returned on land.

The six pirates were taken aboard a French navy ship where they were being held on Friday, said a statement from the French presidency.

"We were able to track the pirates which enabled a helicopter-borne action to intercept half of them," Georgelin told a news conference.

Owned by French charter company CMA-CGM, Le Ponant was en route to the Mediterranean from the Seychelles when pirates boarded the vessel last Friday.

The 32-cabin three-masted vessel used for luxury cruises later anchored off Puntland, a breakaway northern region of Somalia, with a French navy ship in attendance, while negotiations with the pirates took place.

Asked whether France had paid a ransom to secure the release of the crew, Georgelin said no "public funds" were paid to the hostage-takers.

The release of the hostages resulted from a "negotiation between the ship owner and the pirates by radio" and "it's up to the ship owner to reveal if he so desires the nature of these negotiations," said Georgelin.

The 30 crew members -- including six Filipinos, one Ukrainian and a Cameroonian as well as the French sailors -- were headed to Djibouti where France has a large military base, a source there said.

In a statement, Sarkozy expressed "his deep gratitude to the French army forces and all the state services who helped bring about a quick end, without incident, to this hostage taking."

"Not a shot was fired. It all took place calmly," said a French official, who asked not to be named.

Valerie Garrec, whose 20-year-old son Thibaut was among the hostages, praised Sarkozy's handling of the crisis after receiving a call from the president's office announcing the good news around midday.

"They said they were free and safe and we don't know anything more. Now I am waiting to speak to my son by phone," Garrec told AFP from her home in Brittany, northern France.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said preparations were being made to return the freed hostages to France as soon as possible.

Experts said the hostages were being held by the "Somali Marines," which they described as the most powerful gang of pirates operating off the coast of Somalia.

France sent a helicopter and navy vessels to the area, but Prime Minister Francois Fillon said authorities would not resort to force.

A French naval warship maintained close surveillance with troops from the French gendarmerie's elite counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit stationed in nearby Djibouti.

Kouchner on Friday urged the international community to take action to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast and said talks were underway at the United Nations on the issue.

The foreign minister asked the UN Security Council to set up a surveillance system for navigation off the coast of Somalia, saying that some 230 to 300 boats were attacked in that area last year.

We are so glad to hear that the crew being held hostage has been released. It's an answer to many prayers. Alison and Dr. Ed Franklin

Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office Regarding the Le Ponant by the Spokesperson in the Daily Press Briefing

LE PONANT 

Paris, April 11, 2008

Communiqué from Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Bernard Kouchner:

"I learned with great joy that the crew members of the Ponant, who had been held hostage for a week, have been released. I am delighted at this happy outcome. My first thoughts go to the families and loved ones of our compatriots, and the other crew members who will soon be with theirs.

We shall be arranging for their return to France as soon as possible.

I also want to extend my warm thanks to all those who helped resolve this crisis.

The international community must mobilize for a determined fight against acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. France, which took the initiative for Operation Alycon to escort WFP humanitarian ships sailing to Somalia, considers it necessary to go further, especially at the United Nations. Discussion have started in New York with our partners to move forward on this.”

Q - What were the conditions for the release?

"As you’ve seen, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs was fully mobilized, in particular through its crisis unit which was working night and day since last Friday to ensure things went as well as possible while they remained in permanent contact with the families.

For the rest, I’m going to disappoint you but I’m not going to answer other questions. The president will be meeting with the families late this afternoon. You will have to wait till then for all the answers to your questions."

Q - Can you give us details about the nationalities of the former hostages who weren’t French?

"As I said, let’s wait for the president to meet with the families because he wants the families to be the first to have all the information. I ask you to be a little patient."

When all is said and done...the crew may feel that we were just a boat load of tourist.....but we did think so much of them and they did touch our lives and we did appreciate all their hospitality...they were so special in our lives...we are so thrilled that the outcome was positive and wish them all the best..please thank them for all that they did to make our journey the very, very best! We were on the Sept. 13th Tauck tour...Our best to the crew, The Thompsons... San Diego

Handout photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows the stern of French luxury yacht Le Ponant after the liberation of her crew off the Somalian coast.

Le Ponant Yacht Crew Tells of Hostage Ordeal with Somalia Pirates

Read the stories here:

• Le Ponant Yacht Crew Tells of Hostage Ordeal with Somalia Pirates - News and Video
• Le Ponant Pirate Attack - The Released Hostages and Pirates Speak