Maritime trade paying Yemen safe passage money

London: It now comes to light that Yemen is offering the services of its navy as a protection force to the international maritime industry and charging vessels up to $55,000 each for safe passage through pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden. A report in The Australian says the deal, so far, may have netted Yemeni authorities about $30 million over 18 months.

Source: United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations

The report says that Yemeni authorities, as well as international anti-piracy military forces, are unaware of the practise and the arrangement may have been struck solely between the Yemeni navy and the international maritime trade.

Under the safe passage deal, up to ten warships are placed at the disposal of a UK-based company, the Gulf of Aden Group Transits, with armed soldiers deployed on-board maritime vessels as escorts. Company officials indicated that they also had the full backing of Yemen's land-based military in case their services were required.

According to the report, for the safe passage money paid by customers, the Yemeni navy provides a dedicated warship travelling alongside a vessel, 40km off its coastline.

According to Davis, not one of the ships that have paid passage money has been hijacked, while four attacks have been fended off. The report estimates that at least one ship a day is passing through the Gulf of Aden after paying protection money.

According to Nick Davis, chief executive of the company, "It's the only dedicated, military-supported full escort protection available in the Gulf of Aden at the moment. There's nothing better. We'd all like it to be free but that's not possible."