Sana'a, Yemen - Somali pirates took over a French yacht off in the Gulf of Aden and held hostage 30 mostly French crew members on Friday, a Yemeni port official said.

The luxury yacht, the Ponant, was sailing from Somalia to the southern Yemeni port of Aden when armed pirates boarded it and took the entire crew hostage, an official at the southern Yemeni port of Aden told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"According to the information we have received, no passengers were on board," said the official, who asked anonymity.

He said the ship originated in the Seychelles heading to the Mediterranean Sea and made a refuelling stop at a Somali port on Thursday.

The official said contacts were going on between Yemeni Coast Guard Authority and French navy ships operating in the Gulf of Aden to coordinate efforts. (dpa)