# High-Risk Hormuz Voyages Drive Premium Pay for Tanker Crews By Enna Lee Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/investing/29633 Published: 2026-10-10T20:33:16.000Z Updated: 2026-10-10T20:33:16.000Z Section: Investing > Captains can reportedly receive up to $100,000 monthly plus a $50,000 trip bonus, while 100 confirmed incidents and 24 confirmed seafarer fatalities were recorded as of Oct. 9. Pay offers for tanker captains on Strait of Hormuz voyages reportedly reach $100,000 a month, with an additional $50,000 bonus for each trip as attacks and maritime risks remain elevated. The reported monthly offer is far above regular captain pay of about $15,000. Ordinary sailors, who may earn as little as $1,500 a month, are receiving four to six times their normal pay for some Hormuz assignments. Captains and sailors working in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Oman are reportedly receiving double pay for work in those waters, below the premium tied to Hormuz crossings. The compensation surge comes as shipowners use shuttle voyages and ship-to-ship transfers to keep oil cargoes moving. Attacks, higher insurance costs and tanker shortages are complicating regional shipping. The incident tally stood at 100 confirmed incidents and 24 confirmed seafarer fatalities as of Oct. 9, 2026. The figures cover the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and nearby waters. Tanker crews have also tightened security procedures during crossings, including longer bridge watches and reduced radio, phone and Automatic Identification System use. The measures build on [earlier efforts to limit navigation signals and communications]() while vessels move through the waterway. Shipowners are using the higher compensation to staff voyages that carry increased operational and security risks. The reported pay levels apply to specific assignments and do not establish a standard companywide salary schedule. The higher costs are adding to the strain on commercial energy shipping as operators seek routes and transfer arrangements that keep cargo moving through the regional disruption. ## Links in this article - [earlier efforts to limit navigation signals and communications](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/investing/28012)