It's a global recession, folks. Ship-owners can't be expected to pay for Ukrainian hostage phone bills, okay.
According to proUA.com, the owner of the ship "Fayina," which was famously held hostage from September 2008 to February 2009 by Somali Pirates, is making the now freed Ukrainian sailors pay for the phone calls Captain Viktor Nikolski made to officials during their captivity. These conversations add up to about $200. The sailors are not taking the news lying down. They are petitioning the International Transport Workers' Federation to protect their rights and savings.
The pirates themselves received a ransom of $3.2 million. Why they weren't just given $3,199,800 to cover these expenses remains unclear. It seems to me it would be reasonable to charge the pirates for expenses. In any case, what is as clear as vodka is that crime does in fact pay. Also, I see now why people get Stockholm Syndrome.
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