Total cost of the Somali piracy for the world economy is 18 billion dollars a year, the Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen stated recently, and warships are still in the Gulf of Aden. The NATO anti-piracy operation Ocean Shield is being conducted there. The Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaidachny joined the patrolling effort on October 12. Participation in the operation was Ukraine’s long-time aim, achieved with ratification of the agreement to this effect by the Verkhovna Rada on September 19. All costs of the participation are born by Ukraine. As noted by the Ukrainian Navy’s Commander-in-Chief Admiral Yurii Iliin, participation in the anti-piracy operation will cost the public purse 89 million hryvnias. The technical preparation of the ship alone took 13.7 million hryvnias. According to Iliin, all budget expenses will be paid from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine’s accounts as part of the maintenance of armed forces item.
On the one hand, the voyage may come as a surprise to our readers: why hunt for pirates in the region where they have become unable to rob anyone already? After all, the ship’s expenses will still be higher compared to what would be spent in home waters. For example, on leaving the territorial waters of Ukraine, sailors start receiving the travel allowance, and some of them get as much as 10 US dollars per day. But in fact, these funds are not spent in vain. First, it does provide necessary experience to our servicemen, highly demanded since the average at-sea time per ships and boats of the Ukrainian Navy is too small: it was usually about 22 days a year for the Joint Rapid Reaction Force and half of that for the Main Defense Forces. Moreover, Ukraine is now paying for it from its own budget, while before, about a third of the at-sea time was paid for by the US as part of their contribution to the joint Ukraine-US exercises Sea Breeze, where Ukraine always covered only so-called protocol expenses on its own. Thus, the Ocean Shield will allow our sailors a 90-day-long practice run of convoy service and suspect ships inspection. Ukraine has its own interests in the matter, too, for pirates held captive as much as 52 Ukrainian in the past two years alone.
Meanwhile, experts predict that the Somali pirate activity will inevitably increase after a long lull. According to analytical portal Strategypage, the pirates are currently waiting for ship-owners to get used to the calm waters and reduce their protection and insurance expenses. They say ship-owners pass these additional costs on as the increased freight rates, hitting freight market, and this situation cannot continue infinitely.
