Pirates seize U.S. yacht with 4 aboard

MUSCAT, Oman, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. couple and two crew members aboard a yacht were taken hostage by suspected Somali pirates off the coast of Oman, maritime officials said.

The sailboat Quest was seized Friday afternoon 275 miles off the coast of Oman, the BBC said, quoting the maritime watchdog Ecoterra group.

The 58-foot yacht is owned by Jean and Scott Adam, a retired couple who posted their plan online to sail in the Indian Ocean from Sri Lanka to the Mediterranean Greek island of Crete with stops in India, Oman and Djibouti.The couple has been on a quest to circumnavigate the globe since 2004, Ecoterra said.

Somali pirates have increasingly targeted private yachts as international intervention has focused on protecting cargo and oil-carrying ships

The BBC said neither NATO's Indian Ocean anti-piracy command nor the European Union's NAVFOR force would comment on the hijacking.