French navy halts pirates

A FRENCH naval vessel intercepted 11 suspected pirates travelling off the Somali coast yesterday in two assault vessels and a so-called “mothership” loaded with Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers, the French Defence Ministry said.

It was the French ship’s third pirate intervention in a month. France has been the most aggressive in pursuing pirates out of more than a dozen nations patrolling shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden.

Another three suspected pirates were detained on Saturday by the Seychelles coast guard.