Financial Times reports that as Iran has stepped up attacks on vessels, Gulf
tanker captains can earn about $100k/month plus a $50k bonus per voyage for
transits of the Strait of Hormuz, according to three sources close to owners and
crew. Shipowners are offering large hazard allowances to persuade seafarers to
remain aboard while Gulf states seek to keep crude moving through the choke
point. Normal wages are about $1,500/month for ordinary crew and ~$15,000 for
captains; pay typically doubles in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Oman and
rises further for each Hormuz transit, with ordinary crew receiving at least
4-6x their normal pay. One source said the seafarers are 'almost treated like
mercenaries.'
