Luxury Yacht Seized by Pirates

A luxury cruise yacht has fallen afoul of pirates off the coast of Somalia. The AFP reports that the French authorities have been working to free Le Ponant and her 30-member crew. The 32-cabin, four-deck yacht was sailing between Somalia and Yemen when the pirates boarded on Friday. The ship was not carrying any passengers but is due to offer a cruise from Alexandria in Egypt to Valletta in Malta on April 21-28. Passage on this cruise starts at 2,205 euros.

Pirate attacks are common in the area of Somalia at the mouth of the Red Sea and recently the French navy had to escort World Food Programme boats through Somali waters because two of the agency's boats have been stolen. Somali pirates usually chose cargo vessels but nearly boarded a cruise ship in 2005. The pirates generally have GPS satellite and modern communications systems and heavy firepower.