MY Le Ponant
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Le Ponant |
| Owner: | CMA CGM |
| Operator: | Compagnie du Ponant |
| Port of registry: |  France[1] |
| Builder: | SFCN, France[1] |
| Completed: | 1991[1] |
| Identification: | IMO number: 8914219
MMSI number 227186000 Call sign FGZZ[2] |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type: | luxury yacht |
| Tonnage: | 1,489 GT (gross tonnage) |
| Length: | 88 m (288 ft 9 in) |
| Beam: | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
| Draft: | 4 m (13 ft 1 in) |
| Decks: | 3 (passenger accessible) |
| Installed power: | 2,200 hp motor and sails[citation needed] |
| Propulsion: | 1 propeller 1,500 m2 (16,000 sq ft) sail area |
| Sail plan: | three masts |
| Speed: | 14 / 6 kts under sail[citation needed] |
| Capacity: | 67 passengers |
| Crew: | 30 |
Le Ponant is a three-masted, commercially operated French luxury yacht owned by CMA CGM and operated under their Compagnie du Ponant brand. The ship carries up to 67 passengers in 32 cabins. It was built 1991 by the SFCN shipyard in France.[1]
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[edit] Operation Thalathine
| Operation Thalathine | |||||||
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| Part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| France |
Somali Pirates | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 aviso 2 frigates |
1 yacht 12 pirates |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| none | 1 yacht captured 6 captured |
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On April 4 2008, Le Ponant was seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden while en route from the Seychelles to the Mediterranean. The ship carried no passengers at the time of its capture, but all 30 crewmembers were taken hostage; one Cameroonian, six Filipinos, 22 French, and one Ukrainian.[3] French forces, including the aviso Commandant Bouan and a Canadian CH-124 helicopter from HMCS Charlottetown were monitoring the yacht after its seizure.[4]
The hostages were released without incident on April 12.
Following the release, French helicopters tracked the pirates from the Djibouti military base 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 in the desert. A sniper disabled the get-away vehicle, and the commandos were able to capture six men. 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.[5] The six captured pirates have since been flown to Paris, where they shall face trial.[6]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e Ward, Douglas (2008). Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. pp. 419. ISBN 978-981-268-240-6.
- ^ "Vessel details LE PONANT" (in English). Digital-Seas.com. http://www.digital-seas.com/vessel_search/vessel_details/on/le%20ponant_q39767.html. Retrieved 2010-05-31.: Current position, data, and photos of LE PONANT
- ^ "Somali pirates seize French yacht". BBC News. 4 April 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7331290.stm.
- ^ "France is tracking hijacked yacht". BBC News. 5 April 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7332003.stm.
- ^ "France raid ship after crew freed". BBC News. 12 April 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7342292.stm.
- ^ "France charges Somali 'pirates'". BBC News. 18 April 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7355598.stm.
[edit] References
- "Le Ponant". Worldwide Resorts & Cruise Associates. Archived from the original on 2008-04-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20080404001719/http://www.cruiseco.com/products_01/Sailing+Ships/Le+Ponant/ponant.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
[edit] Videos
- April, 7th 2008 [1] (in French)
- Video Shows French Yacht Rescue, CNN.com April 15, 2008
[edit] External links
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