Somali pirate attacks on oil and chemical tankers have been on hold for a few weeks on account of the monsoon season, but they are expected to start up again around the end of August.
Now luxury ocean liners in Russia are offering pirate hunting cruises aboard armed private yachts off the Somali coast, according to an article in Austria's Wirtschaftsblatt (Reiche Russen auf Piratenjagd vor Somalia), and picked up in today's Private Eye.
"Wealthy punters pay 5790 Dollars per day to patrol the most dangerous waters in the world hoping to be attacked by raiders. When attacked, they retaliate with grenade launchers, machine guns and rocket launchers. Passengers, who can pay an extra 5 Dollars a day for an AK-47 machine gun and 12 Dollars for 100 rounds of ammo, are also protected by a squad of ex special forces troops. The yachts travel from
PS There was a disclaimer at the foot of the Wirtschaftsblatt article to say:
"Comment of the editors: Goldman Morgenstern & Partners tells us, that "they believe", this story is "satire.""
(Photo: Rex)
This 'story' was de-bunked as a fake, and spoof many weeks ago ... do a simple google search to check the voracity of the story...IT is simply not true, it is made up, and theese so called PIRATE CRUISES do not exist.
Thanks Tim, and for the full hoax see "Jolly Rogered" at: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/piratecruise.asp