Maritime Accident News

American couple on yacht hijacked by Somali pirates

A U.S. couple who have been sailing around the world since 2004 were taken hostage by Somali pirates on Friday.

Jean and Scott Adam, the owners of the S/V Quest, and two other passengers were hijacked 275 miles from Oman in the pirate infested Indian Ocean. Maritime officials say that the pirates appear to be taking their hostages to Somalia.

For six years the boat has been the couple’s home and has taken them to Hawaii, the Galapagos, India, China, Tahiti and New Zealand, among other places.

Mrs. Adam, a retired dentist, wrote on their web site that they planned to leave Mumbai for Oman before sailing to Djibouti.

When the attack happened they put out an SOS, according to Andrew Mwangura of Ecoterra International, an East Africa-based organization.

A British couple hijacked by pirates in their small yacht was released in November after being held in Somalia for over one year in conditions said to be horrendous. A $1 million ransom reportedly was paid to free them.

Source: The New York Times

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