France unable to contact pirates aboard luxury yacht
Last Updated: Sunday, April 6, 2008 | 5:39 PM ET
CBC News
Officials tried unsuccessfully Sunday to establish contact with the pirates who seized a French luxury yacht off the Gulf of Aden and took its crew members as hostages.
This aerial photo, taken on Friday, shows gunmen, top left on deck, aboard the French cruise ship Le Ponant off Somalia's coast.
(HMCS Charlottetown/French Defence Ministry/Associated Press)
The yacht arrived Sunday in the northern Somali coastal town of Eyl and its mainly French hostages, the 30-member crew of Le Ponant, are being provided with food and given the chance to wash, an unnamed French diplomat told the Associated Press on Sunday. He didn't say how he learned of their conditions.
The French Foreign Ministry said it is in close contact with the hostages' families and that attempts are being made to establish contact with the pirates.
About 10 pirates stormed the 88-metre yacht on Friday as it was returning without passengers from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.
French prime minister François Fillon said Saturday he hoped to avoid using force to free the crew but no options have been ruled out.
There are 22 French citizens, including six women, on board the yacht. Other nationalities of hostages include Ukrainians.
A French frigate, Le Commandant Bouan, was temporarily diverted from NATO duties to track the yacht, a military spokesman said Saturday.
An airplane dispatched from a French base in Djibouti flew over the yacht and reported that all aboard appeared calm.
A Canadian frigate, HMCS Charlottetown deployed in the Arabian
Sea, also dispatched a Sea King helicopter to provide assistance.
"The helicopter flew over the vessel in question and took some imagery and they handed that [imagery] back over to the task force," said Capt. Lori Pothier at the Defence Department in Ottawa on Sunday.
"Right now, there's no further Canadian involvement in the incident," Pothier said.
According to the yacht company's website, the three-mast boat can hold as many as 64 passengers and features four decks, two restaurants and luxury lounges.
Le Ponant was scheduled to carry passengers beginning April 19 as part of a trip from Alexandria, Egypt, to Valletta, Malta.
With files from the Associated Press
