Guards on a private yacht once owned by Welsh actor Richard Burton opened fire on the Yemeni coast guard, believing them to be pirates, setting off a maritime firefi
ght on Friday morning, according to a UK-based maritime security firm.
The coast guard approached the yacht near the Yemeni coast when it did not respond to radio contact, an alert from Ambrey said.
Officials said a security team on the Cook Islands-flagged yacht then opened fire on the approaching Yemenis to avoid “perceived pirates”.
The coast guard returned fire and followed the yacht for around an hour “until communications with the yacht could be established and the misunderstanding between the parties resolved,” the alert added.
Satellite tracking data appears to show that the yacht is the Kalizma, bought by the actor as a gift for his then wife Elizabeth Taylor in 1967. It is owned by private equity investor Shirish Sharaf, according to a profile in the yachting press last year.
Sharaf did not respond to a request for comment.
