Le Ponant

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For the former French Atlantic fleet, see Ponant fleet.

Career

Name:	Le Ponant
Owner:	CMA CGM
Operator:	Compagnie des Iles du Ponant (Ponant Cruises)
Completed:	1991
General characteristics
Tonnage:	850 tons
Length:	88 m (290 ft)
Beam:	12 m
Draft:	4 m
Propulsion:	2,200 hp motor and sails
Speed:	14 / 6 kts under sail
Crew:	30

Le Ponant is a three-masted, commercially operated French luxury yacht that carries up to 64 passengers in 32 cabins.

On April 4 2008, Le Ponant was seized by Somalian pirates in the Gulf of Aden while enroute from the Seychelles to the Mediterranean. The ship carried no passengers at the time of its capture, but all 30 crewmembers were taken hostage.^[1] French forces, including the aviso Commandant Bouan and a Canadian helicopter from HMCS Charlottetown were monitoring the yacht after its seizure.^[2]

The hostages were released without incident on April 12.

Following the release, French helicopters tracked from the Djibouti military base the pirates to the village of Jariban. French commando marine and GIGN operating from the frigate Jean Bart and the Jeanne d'Arc moved in when the pirates attempted to flee. A sniper disabled the get-away vehicle, and the commandos were able to capture six of the 12 pirates. Local officials claimed that three people died in the raid, with a further eight wounded, but France denied this. Troops also recovered some of the ransom money paid by the owner of the yacht for the release of its crew.^[3] The six captured pirates have since been flown to Paris, where they shall face trial.^[4]