Paris - Pirates boarded a French tug off the coast of Cameroon and took 10 of its 15 crew hostage, a spokeswoman for the owners said Friday.

The armed pirates fled with seven Frenchmen, a Cameroonian and an Tunisian after boarding the vessel around midnight on Thursday.

The tug, owned by the Bourbon shipping company, was working in an offshore oilfield for the French petroleum concern Total. (dpa)