Somali pirates confirmed Wednesday they had hijacked a yacht carrying a British couple thought to be Paul Chandler, 58, and his wife Rachel, 55, adding that the two hostages were in good health.

- Our boys have captured a couple on a small yacht, they are British nationals - Ahmed Sheikh, a member of pirate gang told AFP from the coastal town of Harardhere.

- We have made proper contact with the boat and everybody is OK. The hostages' fate will be discussed when the boat gets here. -

Somalia's prime minister pledged during a visit to London that his government would do its utmost to rescue the couple but warned that piracy was a "desperate survival measure" for his people.

- It is rarely seen for what it really is -- a desperate survival measure and in many coastal communities the only job available and the only viable means of income - Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke said.

He said piracy, which dominated central and northeastern Somalia, should not be seen as just a criminal activity.

- I do not condone it, I want it to stop, but I reflect on how humanely they treat the crews caught in the middle, and that 30 percent of each ransom is used to support the local community - he said.

Sharmarke said the pirates were responding to "the loss and disappearance of their livelihoods", adding: "Many of these pirates were once profitable fishermen and would be so again given the chance."

In his speech to the Royal Institute for International Affairs, Sharmarke said piracy dominated central and northeastern Somalia but said his transitional administration had a plan to "eradicate Somali piracy" by 2011.

British relatives of the couple said they were still holding out hope but admitted the chances were slim of them being free.

- It is not 100 percent confirmed -- but I think we all know that's what has happened - Paul Chandler's sister Jill Marshment told BBC radio.

- They are very strong people, I'm sure they are going to be able to cope. They are resourceful as well, they will put on a brave face - she added.

On their blog detailing their travels, the missing couple mentioned the risk of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

- Arriving back at the old port we had to pass three warships at the entrance - they wrote on June 5. - No doubt they are here to deal with the pirates. -

Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a distress signal was activated from the Chandler's yacht -- the Lynn Rival -- at 2200 GMT Friday while the couple were on their way from the Seychelles to Tanzania.

- They had left the Seychelles on October 22 and were going on a 150 nautical-mile passage southwest to the Amirante Islands, en route to Tanzania - an agency spokeswoman said.

Sheikh said that around 60 gunmen had arrived in Harardhere, central Somalia, since Tuesday in a bid to protect the pirates and the hijacked boat from any outside military force.

- A lot of gunmen have just arrived to help our boys on the boat and provide assistance if need be - Sheikh said.

Another pirate in Harardhere voiced surprise that the British couple chose to set sail in the middle of the piracy peak season and head straight into his colleagues' hunting grounds.

- This was an unexpected catch because nobody could have predicted that two people on their own would have dared to venture out in the Indian Ocean at this time - Abdi Yare said.

Making the most of dropping winds between monsoons, Somalia's ransom-hunting pirates have gone on a rampage since the start of the month and currently hold at least eight vessels and more than 150 crew.

Marshment said she thought her brother and his wife had little money to put up for ransom.

- All their money is literally sunk in that boat... They haven't got wealth, they are just ordinary people enjoying early retirement, to do what they've always wanted to do - she said.

The EU naval force in the region thwarted a separate attempt to hijack a French fishing boat on Tuesday, using a helicopter to fire warning shots to ward off pirates aboard two skiffs.

The EU force said personnel from a German warship detained seven suspects.

While most of the more than 100 ships hijacked since the beginning of 2008 have been merchant or fishing vessels, pirates have also seized more vulnerable targets such as private yachts on several occasions.