A French warship captured 19 Somali pirates on Sunday when it came to the rescue of two cargo ships threatened in the Gulf of Aden.
The Jean de Vienne was on patrol off the Somali coast as part of a European Union anti-piracy force. It rescued a Croatian cargo vessel and a Panamanian ship crossing the Gulf of Aden.
A statement issued by the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy said 19 armed Somali pirates were captured and handed over to Somali authorities.
The incident came three days after another French vessel captured eight Somali pirates who attacked a Panamanian registered vessel.
