Our shipping correspondent reports that the French Le Commandant Rouen warship
was diverted from NATO's Afghanistan operation to join the Yemeni coast guard
in the hunt for and rescue of the captured craft. The Le Ponant caters to 64
high-profile luxury tourists, one of three owned by Le Compagnie Des Iles du
Ponant, a subsidiary of the huge Lebanese-French CMA CGM.

DEBKAfile's sources note that the Gulf of Aden and Somali shores are rife with
pirates. Last year, 24 civilian craft were commandeered by pirates. In one
case, the American Navy's USS Porter opened fire on a pirate ship threatening
a Japanese tanker; in another, pirates released a Danish merchant vessel with
hostages against a large ransom after holding them for two months.

Last night they were still, held by pirates. This is the first time that a
cruise ship was seized by pirates.

Since the announcement of the hostage taking, the French government has
launched the "Sea Pirate Plan", which calls for "the mobilization of all
available resources in the zone."

In this case a maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2, based in Djibouti; and
the Task Force 150, an international maritime force under American command.

The crew has been either freed or released according to French Premier
Sarkozy. Although many headlines say, "Pirates Release Hostages" the premier
said the following:

"Sarkozy thanked the French army and other state officials who helped
negotiate the release, and said he would again receive members of the
hostages' families later Friday."

So either the French hostage rescue team negotiated their release or freed
them is up in the air right now.

Where is John Paul Jones when you need him?

Ron Rogers

I want to be humourous about this so I'll say that the freeing of the
hostages was very French (although no French personnel surrendered) in logic
and planning. I am sure that this story will have more twists and turns as
time goes by.

Basically, ze French government did NOT pay ransom. "Unknow to the French
government" the shipping company paid a ransom in big garbage bags. Once the
hostages were released (yes, "without firing a shot") the French commandoes
descended from a helicopter and captured the 6 pirates who remained on the
ship and some bags of "what they thought might be valuable items." At this
point, the story gets muddy. Either a French helicopter descended upon an
auto carrying the remaining pirates and blew the engine away or they killed
everybody in the auto - pick one.

So this was the French interpretation of the carrot and the hammer. Now, if
the French or a joint task force proceed to wipe-out the rest of the "Somali
Marines" - then they are talking action that John Paul Jones (see Tripoli
pirates) would be proud of.

Or reservoir,
Ron Rogers

Ron Rogers