A Ukrainian ship carrying military cargo was hijacked off the coast of Somalia on 23 September 2008. The ship was released on 6 February 2009. All commercial news sources reported that the vessel was released after a ransom has been paid, Ukrainian officials, however, stated that special forces eliminated the pirates and retook the ship. In October 2013 Ukraine deployed its flagship, the frigate "Hetman Sahaydachniy", as part of NATO's Operation Ocean Shield anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden. The ship was deployed for a 3-month mission and operated alongside the Norwegian frigate , the Royal Danish Naval support ship , and the US Navy's frigate .