A US Yacht has been hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean off Oman
On 18 February at 1323 UTC, a yacht, said to be the 58-foot SV QUEST, was reported as coming under attack by pirates in position 1800N 06102E, 240nm off the Oman coast in the Arabian Sea. The yacht has been stated as being hijacked.
The yacht is owned by a U.S. couple, Jean and Scott Adam from California, with two other U.S. citizens, identified as Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle from Seattle, onboard.
The yacht was stated as transiting to Salalah in Oman from India as part of their voyage around the globe over the last few years.
The organizers of an international yacht race called the 'Blue Water Rally' said the QUEST had been taking part in the race but left it 15 February to chart an independent course from India to Oman.
No further details relating to the health of the crew is available at present. A warship is reported to be shadowing the vessel as it heads towards the Puntland area of Somalia.
The family of those kidnapped are obviously very distraught at this time. OCEANUSLive wishes them a safe and speedy return to their loved ones.
The last yacht to have been captured by Somali pirates was the SY CHOIZIL on 7 November 2010, with a South African skipper Peter Eldridge from Richards Bay, who escaped after the yacht was commandeered to Somalia and rescued by an EU French warship. Unfortunately, his South African crew-mates Bruno Pelizzari with his partner, Deborah Calitz, were held by the pirates and remain in captivity with a $10 million ransom being demanded. The previous yacht incident saw Paul and Rachel Chandler taken hostage from their yacht, LYNN RIVAL, on 23 October 2009 and finally released from their ordeal which had lasted 388 days, on 14 November 2010, reportedly after a $750,000 ransom payment. The
International Sailing Federation (ISAF) provides guidance for yachts transiting the region and can be found here.
Vessels are reminded that the coalition forces' warships may not be in the vicinity of a pirate attack, subsequently, it is emphasised that seafarers can greatly reduce their chances of being pirated if they follow precautions as recommended in the Best Management Practices, increasing speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks.
Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity of the reported position of the hijack and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Additionally, registration of vessel movement with MSC(HOA)prior to transiting the region is recommended.
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Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai in the first instance (UKMTO@eim.ae or Telephone+971 50 552 3215) and on entering the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) bound by Suez,78E and 10S.
(Yacht image: www.svquest.com/)
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