In a show of strength against rampant piracy, French forces have detained 11 pirates on a "mother ship" and thwarted a pirate attack on a Liberian-registered vessel.

A picture released by the French Army shows French soldiers intercepting pirates off the coast of Kenya. [ECPAD/AFP]

The French Defense Ministry says one of their surveillance helicopters spotted the pirates' mother ship on Tuesday.

After observing the pirates overnight, French forces launched an attack on the 10-meter long vessel early Wednesday.

The ship was intercepted 900-kilometers east of the Kenyan port of Mombasa. The 11 pirates are being held on a French frigate that is part of a European mission to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden.

(CCTV April 16, 2009)