Hijacked yacht heading for Somali pirate base

A hijacked yacht with a British couple on board is believed to have been spotted off Somalia, sailing to a port which has become a stronghold for pirates and Islamist militias.

The British Government was facing a hostage crisis after Paul and Rachel Chandler, both in their 50s, were reportedly captured during a sailing trip from Tanzania to the Seychelles last week.

Their yacht, Lynn Rival, was spotted by a helicopter from a European Union ship going towards the coastal town of Haradheere, where pirates often take captured vessels.

According to one report a "pirate leader" called Mohamed Shakir called from Haradheere to say: "We have captured two old British people, a man and a woman, in the Indian Ocean. They were on a small boat that we have hijacked. The people are healthy and they are in our hands."

Another, Abdi Noor Osman, claimed eight pirates were on the yacht.

Defence and diplomatic sources said they hoped the situation could be peacefully resolved, but special forces units were being put on standby in case a rescue attempt became necessary.

It was reported yesterday that although British special forces were available at a United States-run base at Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, extra specialist troops from the Special Boat Squadron, based at Poole in Dorset, England, would be needed for such an operation.

Another option - moving SBS units from Afghanistan - is believed to have been ruled out because they have not been able to practise boarding hostile vessels.

Any rescue mission by force would be fraught with difficulties.

The storming by French troops of another hijacked yacht in the region in April led to the death of a hostage, Florent Lemacon, although four others, including his 3-year-old son, were freed.

The Chandlers' decision to undertake such a hazardous voyage has been criticised.

In a yachting forum one blog said: "The area in which they are cruising is very dangerous. The pirates are now working much further out in the Indian Ocean from mother ships and are known to be operating close to the Seychelles."

Another post said: "I hope the people in question are well. However, I do wonder why anyone would sail through areas where the dangers are very well known and well reported."

- INDEPENDENT