"French military means are present in the area, in Djibouti, which is a major military base, and at sea with the Courbet frigate," said armed forces spokesman Christophe Prazuck in Paris.

The forces are "ready to fulfil any mission entrusted to them," he said, though he said no operation to release the French nationals had yet been ordered.

An official with the Seafarers Assistance Programme in Nairobi said Thursday the pirates were demanding more than one million dollars to release the Carre d'as yacht and its crew, seized in the Gulf of Aden late Tuesday.

Since the end of July, eight ships have been hijacked off Somalia, the most dangerous seas in the world for piracy, including vessels from Malaysia, Germany, Iran and Japan.

In April Somali pirates seized a French luxury yacht, Le Ponant, with its 30 crew and held them for a week. They were freed by French naval forces who arrested six suspected pirates.

The same month, gunmen seized a Spanish tuna fishing boat with its 26 crew, who were later released.

France and Spain have said they are seeking allies to create a multinational naval force to fight piracy off Somalia.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in June authorising foreign warships to enter Somalia's territorial waters with the government's consent to combat piracy.

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