Supertanker Owner Reportedly Offers Sailors Six Months’ Salary to Cross Strait of Hormuz

Sinokor Group, a leading supertanker owner, is offering seafarers six months’ salary as a bonus for completing a voyage through the perilous Strait of Hormuz, amidst ongoing attacks on commercial vessels.

A major shipping company has reportedly offered seafarers bonuses worth six months’ salary for a single voyage through the Strait of Hormuz, as attacks on commercial vessels continue to disrupt one of the world’s most important oil routes.

According to a document reviewed by Bloomberg, Sinokor Group, described as the world’s largest owner of supertankers, offered crews an additional six months of pay if they completed a round trip through the strait. The voyage involved loading crude oil in Saudi Arabia or Iraq and unloading it in the Gulf of Oman, with the journey expected to last about one month.

The proposal was reportedly circulated before the latest attacks on merchant vessels, underscoring the growing security risks facing ships operating in the Persian Gulf.

For many sailors, the offer presents a stark choice: accept a potentially life changing bonus or avoid a route that has become increasingly dangerous.

The International Maritime Organization has recorded dozens of attacks on commercial ships in and around the Persian Gulf since the conflict escalated earlier this year. The violence has killed multiple seafarers and forced some vessels to be abandoned at sea.

Industry officials say ship captains on oil tankers can earn up to $15,000 per month, while junior crew members typically earn around $1,500 per month under normal conditions. Seafarers generally have the right to request replacement if they do not wish to sail into high risk waters.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies, with a large share of the world’s seaborne oil passing through the narrow waterway. Shipowners can earn millions of dollars from a successful voyage, but insurance costs for transiting the strait have risen sharply as the security situation has deteriorated.

Captain Pradeep Chawla, chairman of GlobalMET, which works with the International Maritime Organization on seafarer training and education, said some companies are offering exceptionally large bonuses to keep ships operating.

“They are being offered huge bonuses by some companies,” Chawla said, adding that while some crew members have refused to sail through the region, companies have still been able to find sailors willing to take the risk.

Bloomberg reported that Sinokor’s package is among the most generous currently being offered. Other shipping companies are said to be providing bonuses equivalent to roughly 60 days of salary for a 30 day Hormuz contract.

The incentives have increased as attacks on shipping have disrupted traffic through the strait. Similar bonus schemes were also used during earlier phases of the Iran related crisis, when vessels operating inside the Persian Gulf faced frequent threats.

The worsening security environment has already led to a noticeable decline in ship movements through the Strait of Hormuz. Analysts caution, however, that the true level of traffic is difficult to measure because some vessels are believed to be switching off their satellite tracking systems while crossing the region.

As tensions continue to rise, the extraordinary pay offers highlight how the burden of maintaining global oil flows is increasingly falling on merchant crews navigating one of the world’s most dangerous waterways.