Iran No Longer Controls the Strait of Hormuz; Greed Does. Ship Captains Are Being Paid as Much as $100,000 a Month to Sail Through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Salaries and bonuses have surged for seafarers willing to risk the dangerous journey through the strait and face potential Iranian attacks.

 

According to the International Maritime Organization, at least 93 vessels have been damaged and 24 seafarers killed since February 28.

 

Captains of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf are being paid the equivalent of $100,000 a month to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to a $50,000 bonus per voyage. According to three sources with close ties to tanker owners and crews, ship owners are offering massive "danger pay" premiums to persuade seafarers to stay on board, as Persian Gulf nations strive to ensure the uninterrupted flow of oil through this strategically vital strait, the *Financial Times* reports.

 

The standard monthly salary for ordinary seafarers can be as low as $1,500, while captains typically earn around $15,000 a month. In the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Oman, their pay doubles.

 

However, during each transit through the Strait of Hormuz, compensation rises even further: ordinary sailors earn at least four to six times their usual wages.

 

Since most voyages through the strait are carried out by dedicated tankers shuttling back and forth, sailors can earn this premium pay for months on end, all while facing the constant risk of attack by Iranian missiles and drones.

 

According to one source, sailors who undertake such voyages are "practically considered mercenaries"—a reflection of the immense danger involved in navigating the strait.

 

Yet, the high price of the oil transported through the strait—combined with the risk that oil extracted in the Persian Gulf might not be able to leave the region at all—means producers are willing to pay significantly higher transit rates.

 

This week, freight rates for shipping cargo through the contested waterway hit a record $1.3 million per day. Last year, the cost was roughly $20,000 to $50,000 per day.

 

Entering the Persian Gulf, loading the vessel, and departing typically takes about four days. Currently, few ships venture on such a journey. They transport oil to and from the Persian Gulf and subsequently transfer it to other tankers waiting off Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman. These vessels then carry the oil to its final destination.

 

A typical supertanker carries about 2 million barrels of oil and has a crew of up to 35 seafarers, led by a captain.

 

Manoj Yadav, General Secretary of India’s Forward Seamen’s Union, stated that shipowners either offer seafarers huge salaries or, in some cases, pressure those reluctant to sail through the strait by threatening to replace them with other workers. If they refuse to sail, repatriation costs may be deducted from their wages.

 

According to the International Maritime Organization, at least 93 ships have been damaged and 24 seafarers killed since February 28.

 

Most ships transit the Strait of Hormuz at night with their GPS signals turned off. The US Navy has deployed air defense capabilities to protect vessels passing through the strait, which follow a route close to the coast of Oman.

 

According to data from the maritime analytics firm Windward, on October 4 thirteen ships passed through the strait—compared to 24 on the same day last week—with the number dropping due to intensified attacks.

 

Data from Windward indicates that approximately 2% of vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz were attacked during the third quarter.

 

Most seafarers hail from lower-income communities in the Philippines, India, and Indonesia, as well as from Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe.

 

They are often drawn to this demanding profession by wages that are already significantly higher than what they could earn in their home countries.

 

Companies sending vessels through the strait include South Korea’s Sinokor and Greece’s Dynacom, as well as state-owned Middle Eastern firms—such as the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which operates its own shipping division, and the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company."