Hostages liberated from the CMA CGM cruise ship Ponant, who were held captive by Somali pirates for a week, arrived safely home with the heartfelt thanks from the shipping line expressed in a press communique.
"CMA CGM Group would like to express its intense satisfaction and pleasure at the safe return of the crew of the Ponant, who are all in good health. We are truly proud of every one of them, and in particular, Captain Marchesseau," said a shipping line statement
French President Nicolas Sarkozy greeted the crewmen in Paris as they disembarked from a government plane that flew them from Djibouti, reported Agence France Presse.
The crew was flown to Djibouti by a helicopter from the French navy's Jeanne d'Arc warship patrolling off the coast, said AFP. The French Special Forces arrested six pirates in Somalia.
"CMA CGM would like to thank Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the Republic of France, who was personally involved, as well as the government agencies concerned and the French Armed Forces," said the communique.
"Our hope is now that the international community guarantee the security of ships in this very busy and unavoidable area, where no less than 1,000 CMA CGM vessels transit each year.
"Finally, the cooperation between the French government and CMA CGM will have served to encourage the United Nations to reflect on the creation of an international force to maintain freedom on the open sea," said the shipping line.
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