Warship Tracking Yacht Hijacked by Somali Pirates

Feb. 20, 2011— -- The U.S. Navy is actively tracking the yacht with four Americans on board that was hijacked by pirates and was reported to be headed for the Somali coast.

A Defense Department official told ABC News that the monitoring includes at least one Navy warship and some helicopters that have been trailing the yacht as it makes its way from Yemen to Somalia.

A pirate who said he is in contact with the hijackers on the yacht Quest told The Associated Press that a warship and helicopters have been following the vessel.

U.S. officials confirmed Saturday that the vessel seized Friday by Somali pirates off the coast of Oman has four Americans on board.

Though U.S. officials did not release any information about the yacht today, a U.S. Embassy spokesman on Saturday said officials were assessing options and "possible responses" to the situation.

It is believed that Somali pirates currently have 29 ships in their possession and are holding 660 crewmembers hostage.

Speaking with the AP, one pirate who identified himself as Hassan said a warship with a helicopter on its deck is near the Quest.

A second pirate identifying himself as Bile Hussein, and a Somali official in Puntland who asked not to be named, both said the Quest is between Yemen and Somalia, heading for Puntland, on Somalia's northern tip -- a haven for pirates.

"All relevant U.S. agencies are monitoring the situation, working to develop further information, assess options and possible responses," said Matt Goshko, a spokesman at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, according to The Associated Press.

Lt. Commander Susie Thomson, a spokeswoman for the Combined Maritime Forces that patrol the waters of the Middle East, confirmed the Quest incident, but would provide no details.

"We've seen the reports and all the appropriate government agencies are closely monitoring the situation," U.S. Central Command spokesman Lt. Col. Michael T. Lawhorn said.

Steve Ganyard, the former deputy assistant secretary of state and a Marine Corps fighter pilot said that the pirates may have pushed the United States to the brink.