A captain described operational changes to oil and LNG shipments through the
Strait of Hormuz amid Iranian threats: night-only runs, strict equipment limits
(no lights or mobile phones, typically only one radar), navigation by the Oman
coast and lighthouses, and AIS cutters switched off at departure. Crews —
largely from the Philippines and India — are being paid premiums, with some
contracts shortened but paying several times normal wages and some owners
offering an extra six months’ pay; decks are being reinforced with sandbags to
guard against drones or missiles. Shipping executives say the chance of being
attacked while transiting under US military surveillance is about 1 in 20; Iran
has compiled a blacklist of tankers involved in the trade.
