Ship captains and crews transiting the Strait of Hormuz make so much danger pay that they’re ‘almost being viewed as mercenaries’
Source: Fortune ·
Tanker captains can earn $100,000 a month for transiting the strait, plus a $50,000 bonus for each trip, and sailors can make at least four to six times their normal rates.
From the source
The high-risk, high-reward business of moving oil through the Strait of Hormuz has gotten riskier and more rewarding. Despite steady attacks from Iran, oil tankers and other commercial vessels have continued flowing through the narrow waterway. With protection from the U.S. military and help from pipelines bypassing the strait, Persian Gulf oil flows returned to prewar levels. But seeking to reassert its leverage over the global oil chokepoint, Iran has stepped up drone and missile strikes on ships recently, including those outside the immediate vicinity of Hormuz. While traffic has dipped in response, ships continue to cross, with many making shuttle runs in and out of the Gulf to unload oil cargoes via ship-to-ship transfers. Then other vessels deliver the barrels to customers. For those onboard the ships willing to tolerate the risks in the Gulf, a hefty payday awaits. Tanker captains can earn $100,000 a month for transiting the strait, plus a $50,000 bonus for each trip, sources…