Plus tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses: Hormuz captains suddenly earn $100,000 a month

Iran attacks ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Anyone who risks their life to pass through will be rewarded lavishly. At least captains. Crew members apparently don't always take the risk voluntarily.

Oil exports from the Middle East have returned to normal and at the end of September they had even reached pre-war levels. Transport through the Strait of Hormuz has increased again in recent weeks, but at an extremely high price. Iranian attacks on tankers have also increased again. In the first six days of October alone, half as many attacks were recorded in the entire Persian Gulf as in the whole of September. The shipping companies that send their ships through the strait despite the high risk have to pay huge surcharges; not just for insurance, but also for salaries.

Among seafarers, those who expose themselves to this danger are viewed almost as mercenaries, as the Financial Times (FT) reports. Oil tanker captains who travel through the Strait of Hormuz receive monthly salaries of around $100,000 - plus a $50,000 bonus per trip. In the adjacent Gulf of Oman, the usual salary of $15,000 has doubled, according to the report; also for sailors, whose wages typically start at $1,500.

The high salaries are made possible by the skyrocketing freight rates. According to the FT, 1.3 million dollars are now being offered for passage through the Strait of Hormuz - per day. Last year it was 20,000 to 50,000 dollars a day. Entry into the Persian Gulf, loading and the return journey usually took about four days. Other tankers are waiting in the Gulf of Oman to transport the valuable cargo.

According to an Indian union, shipowners don't just convince crew members with money. In some cases, those who do not go along voluntarily are put under pressure by being threatened with losing their job - with the costs of repatriation having to be borne by themselves. At least 24 sailors have been killed and at least 93 ships hit since the start of the Iran war, according to the International Maritime Organization.

Iran has been blocking the strait, which is only 35 to 40 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, for months. Ships travel with their transponders turned off to avoid appearing on the Iranian military's radar. For their part, the United States and its regional partners claim to control the Strait of Hormuz. Oil tankers pass through the strait, some of which are escorted by the US Navy.