France claims biggest haul of pirates off Somalia

PARIS – French frigate Nivose has seized 35 pirates in three days off of Somalia, the French military said on Sunday, claiming "the biggest seizure" so far in the vital shipping lane.
In the latest of four operations since Friday, eleven pirates were intercepted on Sunday with the help of other ships and a Spanish maritime patrol airplane participating in the European Atalanta anti-piracy mission.
Four mother ships and six smaller boats had been seized in the four operations since Friday, the French military said.
The European Union launched its Atalanta mission in December 2008 in a bid to secure one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, joining forces with US-led and NATO missions, as well as other warships from other naval powers.
But the unprecedented naval deployment has failed to curb piracy as Somalia's marauding ransom hunters moved south and started venturing further out in the less heavily-patrolled Indian Ocean, notably towards the Seychelles.
as of 03/08/2010 8:10 AM