2008 Nightmare - S/V Le Ponant PIRATE ATTACK

S/V Le Ponant In Better Days

Vessel Name -S/V Le Ponant

Type of Vessel - Luxuary Passenger Sailing Vessel

Flag - France

Owner - CMA-CGM - French Line

Classification - Lloyd's register of shipping

Length Overall - 88 meters

Draft - 4 meters

Beam - 12 meters

Sail Area - 1500 sq. mt.

Speed Under Sail - 14 / 6 Knots

Horse Power of Engine - 2,200 hp

Tonnage - 850 tons

Crew - 30 members

Restaurant - seats 67 grand salon, salon terrace.

Show Area - night club, library, video salon

Staterooms - 32 with shower or bathroom. mini-bar, safe, radio hifi, air-conditioned throughout, double or single bed arrangements.

Satellite Telephone, Fax, Telex.

The Prolog To Disaster -- Sailing Near The Somali Coast

PROLOG >> Today luxury S/V Le Ponant is in the hands of Somali Pirates -- off the Somali Coast. There were warnings of this. Here is our Nov. 2005 Take on the subject:

"Despite the dramatic loss of life and property involved, the international press seems to have only discovered the problem of Modern High Seas Piracy for the first time on Saturday, 5 Nov. 2005 when a cruise ship joined the thousands of victim vessels & crews. The Cargo Letter issued the following report:
PIRATE CRUISE SHIP ATTACK>> 10,000gt luxury 440ft cruise U.S. owned M/V Seabourn Spirit<< Webfeature, on a 16-day cruise out of Alexandria in Egypt with 300 mostly American & all terrified passengers for Kenyan port city of Mombasa, narrowly escaped seizure by gunmen 160km off pirate-infested Somali coast --at least 2 boats closed in on the vessel & opened fire with machine-guns &rocket-propelled grenades. M/V Seabourn Spirit<< Webfeature, sped off to high seas at flank speed amid a trail of gunfire -- Capt. made distress call & later switched off radio communication to avoid being traced by hijackers -- gunmen sailing in 3 boats later abandoned chase as they could not venture into high seas -- no one injured in botched hijack. So stupid to sail these waters with paying passengers. (Sat. Nov. 5, 2005) UPDATE>> 1 crewmember of M/V Seabourn Spirit injured by shrapnel during pirate attack. (Sat. Nov. 5, 2005pm) UPDATE>> Reports now put passenge manifest at 151 & 161 crew -- at least 3 rocket-propelled grenades hit ship, 1 in a passenger state room. Vessel expected to reach the Seychelles t<< Webfeature, on Oct. 8, & then continue on previous schedule to Singapore (Sun. Nov. 6, 2005) UPDATE>> unexploded rocket ... is embedded in some of passenger accommodation of the ship. (Mon. Nov. 7, 2005) UPDATE>> M/V Seabourn Spirit utilized a new sonic device which SMASHED the attack, known as a Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD<< Webfeature, is a so-called "non-lethal weapon" developed for the military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole<< Webfeature, in Yemen as a way to keep operators of small boats from approaching U.S. warships. Makers of the device compare its shrill tone to that of smoke detectors, only much louder -- but directed with pinpoint accuracy. One female passenger reported that she escaped injury because she was taking a bath, and not in the ship's stateroom where an explosive landed. (Mon. Nov. 7, 2005pm) Update>> Your editor has given numerous interviews to the world press over this M/V Seabourn Spirit incident in the past 2 days . It is quite sad that the VOICE of The Cargo Letter should be heard only after a luxury cruise ship near miss -- there being so many merchant sailors who have been killed in cold blood with no public notice in recent years. McD (Tues. Nov. 8, 2005pm)
Int'l Maritme Bureau>> CONTINUING ALERT -- Somalia - NE & Eastern Coast -- "Twenty five incidents have been reported since 15 March 2005. Heavily armed pirates now attacking ships further away from Somalia coast. Recent incident took place 120 nm off the eastern coast. Ships advised to keep as far away as possible from the Somali coast." >>> Despite these warnings, operators of M/V Seabourn Spirit<< Webfeature, Miami-based Seabourn Cruise Line<< Webfeature, a subsidiary of Carnival Corp -- deliberately took her passengers into harms way. Not Our idea of a pleaure cruise. (Sat. Nov. 5, 2005pm)

"Armed pirate attack upon a cruise ship in international waters was inevitable, and it is a sad commentary that the world's attention has come only after so many merchant seamen have been murdered in cold blood by past acts which few news agencies cared to report. Inevitable, but avoidable -- as a wider berth to the Somali Coast would have provided safety for the passengers & crew. Still, we say Bravo Zulu to Seabourn Cruise Line for it's forward thinking defense plans including fire hose deployment & use of the Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD<< Webfeature, for anit-piracy use. The LRAD vibrates your scull!

"In a post-November 5, 2005 world &endash; where attack on an American based cruise ship has captured both public imagination and a spot on the evening news &endash; the urgent question is whether these are true pirates or whether terrorists are now more in the mix. According to the classic definition, if the motive is financial gain, then it is piracy, but if it is political gain, then it is terrorism. The distinction may now be blurred, but the risk increases as emboldened pirates, Muslim separatists and operatives of failed states are lured by Al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations.

"We must recall that the November 2005 attack on M/V Seabourn Spirit is by no means the first or worst cruise ship attack -- have we forgotten the deadly 1985 Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) terrorist attack on Italian cruise M/V Achille Lauro where terrorist/pirate mayhem included taking a crippled American Leon Klinghoffer -- in a wheelchair -- and rolling him off the side of the ship to drown -- because he happened to be Jewish?

"It may not be by coincidence alone that the pirates who fell upon M/V Seabourn Spirit on 5 November 2005 did not appear equipped with grappling hooks for boarding the high decked cruise vessel &endash;- only with machine guns & rocket-propelled grenades for maximizing damage. It is definitely the work of skilled prior planning that inflatable-ridged launches could be conveniently loitering at a point of opportunity -- 100 miles off the Somali Coast. Modern High Seas Piracy continues to evolve and becomes more deadly."

Daily Int'l Vessel Casualties & Pirate Atttack Daily Reports

NOW -- on April 4 2008, luxury passenger cruise vessel S/V Le Ponant has failed to note the warning of history and has sailed into the harms way of the Somali Coast. More than 25 ships were seized by pirates there in 2007.

Why would a passenger vessel enter these waters?

S/V Le Ponant apparently did not read read the memo.

The world press has described this event as the seizure of of a "yacht' -- but in truth -- S/V Le Ponant IS A CRUISE SHIP.

We show actual pictures of the Pirates storming S/V Le Ponant -- below.

Michael S. McDaniel - Your Editor

Return of the Pirates DVD - from The History Channel - featuring Michael S. McDaniel of Countryman & McDaniel

Deck Plan of CMA-CGM Vessel S/V Le Ponant -- Paradise For The Few
True Luxury Under Sail

But Any International Passenger Expects Safe Navigation - Not Somali Pirates

Pirate Attacks Are Frequent Off Somalia's 2,300-mile Coastline

The International Maritime Bureau Thus Advises Sailors Not To Come Closer Than 200 NM To Its Shore.

The Pirate Attack -- North Somali Shores - Gulf of Aden

The Cargo Letter - 4 April. 2008
Four deck luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant has been trailed by the French Navy after being seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Vessel set anchor near a remote town in Somalia on April 4. But the French prime minister, François Fillon, played down the threat of a military raid to free the vessel, saying "all channels of discussion" remained open.
"We are putting the emphasis on protecting the lives of those on board," Fillon said.

On April 4 at least 10 heavily armed pirates stormed the 288ft passenger ship, S/V Le Ponant, as she returned from the Seychelles to the Mediterranean. The yacht's 30-member staff includes 22 French citizens as well as Koreans & Ukrainians.

The French military, which has a large base in Djibouti, dispatched an aircraft to track the yacht, and a frigate was diverted from Nato duties.

Officials said the yacht reached Eyl on Somalia's northern coast, the same area where a British-captained tug bound for Russia was held for 46 days before being released last month. In that case, a ransom of several hundred thousand dollars was reportedly paid to the pirates, who claimed to be protecting Somalian waters from foreign exploitation.

Last year there were 31 pirate attacks off Somalia, the most anywhere wordwide.

In 2005 attackers tried but failed to stop a cruise liner M/V Seabourn Spirit by firing rocket-propelled grenades at it. Though U.S.-led coalition ships patrol the coast, owners of hijacked vessels usually seek to negotiate with pirates, who keep a network of intermediaries and bank accounts in Dubai & Kenya. Crew members are seldom harmed.

The world press tells us that a "yacht" has been seized -- but S/V Le Ponant is a cruie ship.

S/V Le Ponant Had NO PASSENGERS Aboard At Time of Pirate Attack

Truly A Lucky Momemnt For US$7,000 Per Cruise Passengers-- To Be Ashore.

The Crew of S/V Le Ponant Is Truly At Risk

But What Do The Somali Pirates Make of This Level of Luxury?

Pirates And Paradise

We Imagine S/V Le Ponant May Be A Wreck When These Guys Are Done

The Cargo Letter - 5 April. 2008

Luxury French tourist vesselS/V Le Ponant, seized on the high seas, was reported to have docked April 8, 2008 in a notorious pirate haven on the northern coast of Somalia.
French and Canadian naval vessels and aircraft were closely monitoring the progress of S/V Le Ponant, a three-masted sailing cruiser, seized on April 7 with 30 crew members, but no passengers, on board.

The 88-meter S/V Le Ponant was reported to have arrived in the small Somali port of Eyl, a known base for pirates who infest the busy waters off the Gulf of Aden. The French government has mobilized its anti-piracy, naval task force but the Prime Minister, François Fillon, promised that efforts would be made to recover the ship, and its mainly French crew, peacefully.

"We are following this hostage-taking minute by minute. We have dispatched the military means to enable us to monitor the boat from a distance," M. Fillon said. "All channels of discussion are open to try to resolve this issue without using force. We are putting the emphasis on protecting the lives of those on board."

M. Fillon's comments suggest that France is bracing itself for a long period of negotiation. Paris may follow the recent example of the Danish government which is reported to have paid £700,000 for the release of a Danish-registered tug which was seized by Somali pirates in February.

Although piracy is on the increase, it is rare for such a spectacular vessel as S/V Le Ponant to be seized. The ship has four decks and two restaurants. It was was heading from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean to Alexandria in Egypt to pick up 64 passengers for a Mediterranean cruise.

S/V Le Ponant was hijacked by 10 pirates, believed to be armed with automatic weapons and rocket launchers, as it steered towards the Red Sea and the Suez Canal on April 7 afternoon. The ship's owner, Compagnie Générale Maritime (CGM CMA), said that it had been in contact with the ship and that the crew, which includes six women, was safe and well. It is believed that the pirates stormed the ship by means of a staircase, leading to the upper decks from a swimming deck at sea-level.

Although modern piracy is often associated with Asian waters, the International Maritime Bureau lists the most dangerous coasts in the world as those of Somalia and Nigeria. Since the collapse into anarchy of the east African nation after the 1991 civil war, many fishermen have armed themselves with automatic weapons and hand-held rocket launchers and taken to piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Unlike Asian pirates, these predators do not attempt to steal ships or cargoes, preferring instead to hold crews and vessels to ransom. Captives have mostly been treated well.

A local fisherman, Mahdi Daud Anbuure, told the Associated Press that he had seen the ship at Eyl, in an autonomous part of Somalia called "Puntland" outside the limited control of the authorities in Mogadishu.

A French navy frigate, Le Commandant Bouan, was diverted from NATO duties and tracked S/V Le Ponant as SHE sailed southwards along the Somali coast. French and Canadian aircraft flew low over the ship on Saturday. They reported that all seemed calm on board and photographed a group of five men in T-shirts &endash; believed to be pirates &endash; on the upper deck.

The French Defence Minister, Hervé Morin, said 22 of the crew were French, including the 6 women. "We have had no contact with the pirates at the moment and do not know what their intention is," he said.

The Crew of S/V Le Ponant Is Truly At Risk

But What Do The Somali Pirates Make of The Grand Salon? Pirates And Paradise?

The Crew of S/V Le Ponant Is Truly At Risk

But The Somali Pirates Are Forbidden By Religion From The Bar

The Crew of S/V Le Ponant Is Truly At Risk

But The Somali Pirates May Not Understand The Concept of 32-Cabin Room Service

We Imagine S/V Le Ponant May Be A Wreck When/Before These Guys Are Done

The Cargo Letter - PICTURES OF THE PIRATES STORMING S/V Le Ponant ..............

Aerial Photo April 4

From A Canadian Military Helicopter Off Canadian HMCS Charlottetown

Armed Pirates Are Seen On The Top Deck After Storming S/V Le Ponant

French Defense Ministry Photo Taken Friday, April 4, 2008 By HMCS Charlottetown

Pirates Stand On Sun Deck of Luxury S/V Le Ponant After She Was Seized Off The Somali Coast April 4, 2008.

S/V Le Ponant -- Tempting Target When Sailing Within 100 NM of Somali Coast

The Cargo Letter - 7 April. 2008

France says it has made contact with Somali pirates who seized S/V Le Ponant and her crew of about 30.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said everything would be done to avoid bloodshed and did not rule out paying a ransom to free the crew.

S/V Le Ponant was boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on April 4 and is now reported to be anchored off Somalia. There are no passengers aboard.

Somali coastal waters are among the world's most hazardous.

More than 25 ships were seized by pirates there in 2007.

"We've made contact and the matter could last a long time," Mr Kouchner told France Inter radio.

French Defence Minister Herve Morin earlier said a military operation to free the crew would only be attempted if their safety could be guaranteed.

The French Navy coastal frigate, Le Commandant Bouan (F797), has been diverted from NATO duties to track S/V Le Ponant and a French military plane based in Djibouti has overflown the vessel.

A Canadian military helicopter on the HMCS Charlottetown also was taking part in the operation.

Officials in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, in north-eastern Somalia, said S/V Le Ponant had anchored nearby.

The French company that owns the vessel, CMA-CGM -- "French Line" -- one of the largest shipping companies in the world -- said on April 6, that its crew were thought to be unharmed.

The 850-ton three-masted S/V Le Ponant was sailing back to the Mediterranean from the Seychelles when she was seized with its crew of 22 French nationals & 10 others - thought to be Ukrainians and Koreans.

The hijacked S/V Le Ponant can take up to 64 passengers and is designed for cruising in some style.

S/V Le Ponant has four decks, two restaurants and also indoor and outdoor luxury lounges. Paradise and Pirates.

McD
French Defense Ministry Photo Taken Fri., April 4, 2008 By HMCS Charlottetown
Pirate Gunmen Are At Top Left, On Deck of S/V Le Ponant

The Stern of S/V Le Ponant Wss the Achilles Heel For Storming Pirates

The Cargo Letter - 8 April. 2008 - Violence - 2 Dead Reported

French frigate Le Commandant Bouan (F797) and a team of the French GIGN (National Gendarmes Intervention Group), a commando force that conducts anti-terrorist and hostage rescue operations, is being sent to Djibouti to "reinforce" negotiation teams in place. The elite French troops are headed to East Africa to bolster efforts to free captives of cruise yacht S/V Le Ponant held by pirates off Somalia, a French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
The U.S. Navy and Combined Task Force 150 are also near the scene.

All 32 crew members on board S/V Le Ponant are alive and being well treated, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said April 8, citing the country's embassy in France. The French Foreighn Ministry reported "initial contact with the pirates was made last night April 7). We had confirmation that the crew was safe and sound and well-treated."

Unconfirmed reports estimate that the initial pirate raiders were 10 in number.

Reports emerging from the region of Mudug said the hijacked S/V Le Ponant had reached a small coastal town on the Central Somali coast where armed villagers engaged the pirates in a skirmish that killed at least two people. The pirates attempted to come ashore on Aoril 6, but residents said gunmen working for the local authorities made it clear they were not welcome.

"The pirates opened fire, killing two men after local fighters told them to go away," Mohamed Ibrahim, a radio operator, said.

Clan elders in Mudug contacted by Radio Garowe said they had heard of the report, but declined to comment until they reach the remote location for confirmation.

S/V Le Ponant was carrying 30 crew members, including 22 French citizens, but no passengers.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirate attacks rose 10% last year, the first increase in three years.

The pirates are tearorists -- and the terrorists are pirates. These are thugs, with or without a cause -- who must be stopped. Go Le Commandant Bouan (F797) and Combined Task Force 150! Save the crew of S/V Le Ponant.

McD

The Cargo Letter - 10 April. 2008 - Violence - 2 Dead - Commandos On The Ground

The families of the French crew members met in Paris yesterday with President of France Nicolas Sarkozy. Foreign Affairs Minister of France Bernard Kouchner says the government of France is in communication with the pirates and that everyone hopes the matter can be resolved "without any bloodshed," adding the the process could take some time. But while the French negotiate, they are also putting French special forces in place, leaving options open for a more forceful operation.
French opinion is mixed on France's approach to the crisis, with some saying that any appearance of giving in to the pirates' demands will only encourage similar incidents.

The pirates holding the crew of some 30 sailors of S/V Le Ponant are said to belong to a group called the Somali Marines -- a loose network of fishermen-turned-pirates armed with satellite telephones and hand-held missiles -- who were responsible for kidnapping a French journalist in Dec. 2007. They are believed by Somali and international officials to be responsible for many of the estimated 150 attacks on ships off the Horn of Africa last year.

There is no word from the elite GIGN commandos today.

GIGN is now on the ground.

McD

The Cargo Letter - 10 April. 2008 - Violence - 2 Dead - Commandos On The Ground

Perhaps significantly, there is no news tonight. GIGN is now on the ground.
McD April 10 2008
French Warship Le Commandant Bouan (F797)-- Diverted from NATO's Afghanistan Operation
She Will Join The Yemeni Coast Guard (such as it exists) In The Hunt For & Rescue of The Captured S/V Le Ponant

The Cargo Letter - 12 April. 2008- Commandos Retake S/V Le Ponant - Hostages Free - 5 Dead

French commandos have seized six pirates in Somalia during a daring helicopter raid launched shortly after the bandits released the 30-strong crew of S/V Le Ponant they'd hijacked on April 4. Authorities in France said owners CMA-CGM had paid a ransom to obtain the freedom of the crew. As soon as it was clear they were all safe, the elite GIGN (National Gendarmes Intervention Group) unit, which specializes in hostage rescue & counterterrorism, went into action aboard helicopters to track down the pirates. A district commissioner in Somalia says five local people died in the attack early April 12, but the French military has denied killing anyone in the daylight raid. The commandos say some of the ransom was recovered in the raid. Crew from the three-masted S/V Le Ponant were taken by inflatable boats to the French navy frigate Jean Bart, anchored off the Somali coast in East Africa. The crew was made up of 22 French nationals & about 7 Filipino national.
The operation also saw six pirates arrested in a dramatic raid as they attempted to escape in a 4x4, French officials said.

The International Maritime Bureau has been advising vessels not to venture closer than 200 nautical miles (370 kms) to the Somali coastline. The French navy has been called on in recent months to escort World Food Program boats through Somali waters, after two of the agency's vessels were stolen.

Pirate Surprise !

Good Morning Somalia!

Photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury yacht Le Ponant and French Navy warship Le Commandant Bouan (F797) The French authorities had announced earlier in the day that the captors had released the entire crew of 30 that includes 22 French and 7 Filipino nationals, who had been held for a week.

Good Morning Somalia !

Bad Day For The Pirates - Sea Scum Meets The French GIGN

Photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows one of the French Elite snipers of the GIGN (National Gendarmes Intervention Group) who participated in the caputre of 6 pirates after all the French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant 's crew members had been released off the Somalian coast.

Photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows the stern of French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant after the liberation of her crew off the Somalian coast. The French authorities had announced earlier in the day that the captors had released the entire crew of 30 that includes 22 French and 7 Filipino nationals, who had been held for a week.

Photo released 12 April 2008 by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant 's crew members being evacuated from their ship after being released by pirates off the Somalian coast.

Photo released 12 April 2008 by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant 's crew members being evacuated from their ship after being released by pirates off the Somalian coast.

Poto released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant 's rescued crew members climbing aboard the French Navy warship Jean Bart (D615) after being released by pirates off the Somalian coast.

Photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant and French Frigate Jean Bart (D615).

Photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant and French Frigate Jean Bart (D615).

Photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French Navy Helicopter Cruiser Jeanne d'Arc (R 97), attached to the task force that took control of S/V Le Ponant off the Somalian coast.

Photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant's crew members arriving aboard Jean Bart (D615) after being released by pirates off the Somalian coast.

Photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury cruise ship S/V Le Ponant's crew members arriving aboard Jean Bart (D615) after being released by pirates off the Somalian coast.

Our Long Time Readers -- Please Remember the attack upon M/V Seabourn Spirit From 2005.

There can be no more threatening or frightening experience than to be taken by armed pirates off the Somali Coast.
No one deserves a Pirate Attack - but for S/V Le Ponant to have sailed off the Somali Coast has no excue.

This said, of the many ship seized off the Somali Coast in recent years -- the object has been commerce. Ransom has been paid for them all -- including vessels under UN charter for relief aid to the Somali region. The crew of S/V Le Ponant remains at serious risk, but a paid ransom will likely be followed by safe vessel & crew release -- if recent history holds.

We must save the crew of S/V Le Ponant -- but then what?

Do we pay endless ransom to these thugs, or might the pirates be wiped out, as they should be?

Michael S. McDaniel - Your Editor -April 10 2008

Congratulations to France and to her military for the rescue of all 32 crew of S/V Le Ponant.

"This is the first time a country has decided not to let itself be extorted, but also to take matters into its own hands," France's defence minister Herve Morin said, praising French special forces for apprehending the hostage-takers.

He spoke a day after pirates released the 30 crew members of the three-masted S/V Le Ponant, who were taken hostage last week. The operation also saw six pirates arrested in a dramatic raid as they attempted to escape in a 4x4, French officials said.

President Nicolas Sarkozy had ordered that, if possible, the abductors be captured alive.

"The president gave an instruction that -- if it was possible without any collateral damage -- we should try to apprehend the hostage-takers so they can be delivered to justice," France's defence minister Herve Morin said.

The French foreign ministry indicated it would like to see those captured brought to France for trial.

A local Somali regional governor said that