Pirates seized control of a French luxury yacht carrying 30 crew in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's coast, the French government and the vessel's owner said.
Attackers stormed the three-mast Le Ponant as it returned without passengers from the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, towards the Mediterranean, said French maritime transport company CMA-CGM.
"This is a blatant act of piracy," Prime Minister Francois Fillon told reporters while on a visit to Brussels.
"The Defence and Foreign Ministries are mobilised to act as quickly as possible, I hope in the coming minutes or hours to try to win the freedom of these hostages."
He did not elaborate. France has considerable military resources in the region, including a base in Djibouti and a naval flotilla circulating in the Indian Ocean.
The ship was in the high seas in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's coast in the Indian Ocean, the ministry said. At least some of the crew members are French. The company declined to identify any other nationalities of the crew.
"French authorities are handling the situation," Jean-Emmanuel Sauvee, managing director of La Compagnie des Iles du Ponant, said in Marseille, where his subsidiary of CMA-CGM is based.
According to the company's website, the 288ft yacht features four decks, two restaurants and indoor and outdoor luxury lounges. It can hold up to 64 passengers.
Le Ponant was next scheduled to carry passengers as part of a 10-day, 7-night trip from Alexandria, Egypt, to Valletta, Malta starting on April 19. Prices started at £1,730, not including air fare or taxes.
Pirates seized more than two dozen ships off Somalia's coast last year.
Attackers stormed the three-mast Le Ponant as it returned without passengers from the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, towards the Mediterranean, said French maritime transport company CMA-CGM.
"This is a blatant act of piracy," Prime Minister Francois Fillon told reporters while on a visit to Brussels.
"The Defence and Foreign Ministries are mobilised to act as quickly as possible, I hope in the coming minutes or hours to try to win the freedom of these hostages."
He did not elaborate. France has considerable military resources in the region, including a base in Djibouti and a naval flotilla circulating in the Indian Ocean.
The ship was in the high seas in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's coast in the Indian Ocean, the ministry said. At least some of the crew members are French. The company declined to identify any other nationalities of the crew.
"French authorities are handling the situation," Jean-Emmanuel Sauvee, managing director of La Compagnie des Iles du Ponant, said in Marseille, where his subsidiary of CMA-CGM is based.
According to the company's website, the 288ft yacht features four decks, two restaurants and indoor and outdoor luxury lounges. It can hold up to 64 passengers.
Le Ponant was next scheduled to carry passengers as part of a 10-day, 7-night trip from Alexandria, Egypt, to Valletta, Malta starting on April 19. Prices started at £1,730, not including air fare or taxes.
Pirates seized more than two dozen ships off Somalia's coast last year.