A French cruise ship, Le Ponant, was seized by pirates and its thirty person crew taken hostage this Friday in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali Coast. The luxury yacht, a three masted sailing vessel operated by CMA-CGM, was en route to the Mediterranean Sea from a cruise around the Seychelles. There were no passengers aboard at the time of the attack.

A statement released by CMA-CGM said, “the group is in close collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The French authorities are handling the situation.” It continues, “The CMA-CGM group does not wish to communicate more, so as not to put in danger the crew taken hostage.”

While the popular conception of pirates has for some time been dominated by a canon of literature and film depicting them as swashbuckling anti-heros (puffy shirts, sea chanties, animatronics and, most recently perhaps, a sexually ambiguous Johnny Depp doing his best Keith Richards impersonation), in certain parts of the world, pirates remain a veritable scourge of the seas. According to figures from the International Maritime Bureau, pirate attacks rose 10% in 2007. Not surprisingly, piracy thrives off the coasts of areas of lawlessness and geopolitical instability. International authorities have struggled to stem the tide of piracy near Somalia, where a decade-long civil war has left the country impoverished and in anarchy. Last year a Danish cargo ship, the Danica White, was boarded by pirates off Somalia, prompting an 83 day stand-off before its crew were released to a French warship. Other areas where piracy is endemic include the waters off Indonesia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Brazil. The areas around Somalia have proven to be fertile waters for pirate attacks due not only to the country’s prevailing anarchy, but also that fact that travel between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterannean takes most vessels around the Horn of Africa.

Attacks on charter yachts and cruise ships remain rare, with most pirates targeting commercial vessels. Nevertheless, this action off the coast of Somalia should serve as a reminder of the inherent dangers which remain in traveling, particularly in less developed parts of the world. It is advisable that prior to any trip abroad you consult the US State Department International Travel Information website, for important security updates.