Ship owners in the Netherlands pay about 70,000 euros per vessel to the Dutch defence ministry for official military efforts to protect merchant shipping against Somali pirates. According to newspaper De Telegraaf , this amount is in line with that which owners could expect to pay for private security.

The government has set this sum, but now ship owners are voicing dissatisfaction with the cost and the level of protection they are receiving in Somali waters. They claim defence efforts are so unsatisfactory that they are prepared to pay instead for private security.

(lo/tf)

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