Luxury ocean liners in Russia are offering pirate hunting cruises aboard armed private yachts off the Somali coast.

Wealthy punters pay £3,500 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, reports Austrian business paper Wirtschaftsblatt.

Passengers, who can pay an extra £5 a day for an AK-47 machine gun and £7 for 100 rounds of ammo, are also protected by a squad of ex special forces troops.

The yachts travel from Djibouti in Somalia to Mombasa in Kenya.

The ships deliberately cruise close to the coast at a speed of just five nautical miles in an attempt to attract the interest of pirates.

"They are worse than the pirates," said Russian yachtsman Vladimir Mironov. "At least the pirates have the decency to take hostages, these people are just paying to commit murder," he continued.

Wow, Andi,
That is the strangest thing I have ever heard of. I wonder how many people actually do it.
Lynn

I saw that the other day but thought it was a joke. Guess not.

Donna, you can write about this in ACTIVE travel for Baby Boomers!!

This sounds like a few of those forwarded emails I received a few months ago.

If this is true, I wonder how much the trip insurance costs?

Andi, Ha! Can't you just see the picture Alan would take? Ammunition belt strapped across my chest, machine gun at the ready with my bare foot propped against the railing.

LOL!!!!

Donna, I know your feet are "just itching" for that cruise!!