Michael,
The exact terms of the charter agreements are confidential. However, I can tell you that the day rate for the Keldysh and two Mirs is comparable to the day rate for one ROV and support ship from Phoenix or Oceaneering, if not slightly less.
Actually, there are two day rates, one for transit and one for dive days. There used to be three day rates, including a day rate for on-site, non-diving days. The rate for transit was about half the rate for diving, while the rate for on-site was slightly less than transit. The difference in rates for on-site and transit was due to the difference in fuel usage. You burn less fuel simply maintaining station over the dive site, so it costs less.
The daily price increased about 15-20% between the time I negotiated the charter agreement for RMST in 2000 and the time I negotiated the charter agreement for OTB in 2005. However, the price in fuel had risen dramatically during these five years, and the Mirs had undergone a total refit in 2004, so the price increase was understandable. Based on the huge rise in fuel prices since 2005, I imagine the charter price will have risen accordingly.
The great thing about chartering from the Russians is that the price is the price. Unlike American or European companies, which charge exorbitant "add-on" prices for every little task, everything is included in your charter agreement with the Russians except food and beverages. They did try to bill us for "consumables" about half way through the 2005 expedition, but we simply said no. I have my opinion about why they did this, but it's not important because we didn't pay it.
Finally, the other intangible you have to take into account is that the Russians are absolutely reliable. If they say they will do something, they will do it. Conversely, if they don't commit to doing something, this is tantamount to saying they will not do it, but they just haven't told you yet. Nevertheless, you can rely on the fact that they are not going to do it. This is critical when you are at sea, where you can't afford to miss a day because the subs are not working. They work every time.
Regards,
David