Tanker crews paid large bonuses to transit Strait of Hormuz amid Iran war

Left · 2Tanker captains and crews are being offered sharply higher pay to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports relayed by Al Jazeera and ABC News (Australia). 1 2 Left · 1Al Jazeera, citing the Financial Times, said some captains earn base salaries of as much as $100,000 plus a $50,000 bonus per voyage through the strait, and that crew on each ship can earn four to six times their normal pay. 1 Left · 1ABC News (Australia) instead put the figure at up to US$100,000 a month, citing industry insiders and maritime unions. An Indian marine engineer said a captain who usually earns about 15 lakh rupees (about $22,000) a month could make 1 crore rupees (about $143,000) in Hormuz. 2

Left · 2Lower-ranking crew are also being targeted. The Wall Street Journal, cited by Al Jazeera, reported that a Shandong-based staffing company offered up to $25,000 for a round trip, which could be more than a year of wages for oilers and cadets. ABC said it saw Facebook ads offering Asian seafarers double or triple pay and 'danger money' bonuses, and cited Bloomberg reporting that Sinokor was advertising six months' extra salary for a return voyage. 1 2 Left · 2The pay reflects the danger. Iran all but closed the strait after the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February, and the US later imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Al Jazeera said attacks on tankers hit their highest level since the war began last week, and the UKMTO reported casualties after projectiles struck a vessel off Qatar on Wednesday night. 1 2 Left · 2ABC cited the International Maritime Organization as saying at least 24 seafarers have been killed in 100 confirmed incidents since the war began, and said the UKMTO recorded nine attacks on tankers in the strait this month. Bloomberg, cited by Al Jazeera, reported shipping executives estimate a one-in-20 chance of a ship being hit on a crossing. 2 1

Left · 2Captains described tactics for the crossing. Bloomberg, cited by Al Jazeera, reported that ships run without lights or transponders, with crews barricading decks with sandbags; ABC likewise described 'dark journeys' with GPS switched off, some of them with Iran's knowledge and permission, according to marine intelligence companies. 1 2 Left · 2How much oil is actually moving is contested. Al Jazeera, citing Kpler, said Middle East exports matched the pre-war average last month, but about 40 percent left via Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline or ship-to-ship transfers, and detectable strait transits fell to seven in the previous week, the lowest since 23 July. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran has 'lost complete control' of the strait, while the IRGC adviser Majid Mirahmadi said only about 10 ships a day were transiting, against 125 before the war. 1 2 Left · 1Maritime unions warned of exploitation. Manoj Yadav of the Forward Seamen's Union of India said some unwilling crews were pressured to sail under threat of replacement and being charged repatriation costs, while RP Veettil of the Sailors Union of India said companies should pay hazard pay and not blame seafarers for choosing to go. India's External Affairs ministry says more than 4,500 Indian workers are on commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf. 2

Left · 1Oil prices remain high: Al Jazeera reported Brent crude up $2.28 to $102.28 a barrel on Thursday morning, with analyst Saul Kavonic of MST Marquee saying Iranian attacks on ships are at their highest frequency since the war began and likely to intensify. 1