UK oil and gas companies are lobbying for more military subsidies for counter piracy operations. Platform London released a report that discusses how oil and gas companies have presented their private interests, to protect corporate oil assets at sea, as a public concern over the threat of piracy. Although at its height, less than 1% of tankers travelling through the Gulf of Aden have been hijacked, the companies are demanding increased spending on military capabilities to safeguard their trade vessels. In times of economic austerity, tax-payers are paying for the security of multinational corporations.