Sinokor Group Offers Six Months’ Pay to Sailors for Hormuz Transit

Sinokor Group, the world’s largest owner of super‑tankers, circulated a document offering its crews an extra six months’ salary for completing a round‑trip through the Strait of Hormuz. The voyage would involve loading oil in Saudi Arabia or Iraq and unloading it in the Gulf of Oman, taking about a month in total. Captains can earn up to $15,000 a month and junior crew about $1,500; the bonus adds roughly $9,000 to $90,000 depending on rank.

Since the war in the region began at the end of February, the United Nations shipping agency reports at least 59 commercial vessels have been attacked and 17 seafarers killed, causing daily traffic to fall from around 30 ships to roughly eight. Companies are raising war‑risk insurance premiums, and crew members retain the right to refuse the hazardous passage.

Recent incidents underscore the danger: four Greek‑owned tankers were struck by drones and Iranian rockets in the Hormuz corridor and nearby waters. No injuries or oil spills were reported, but the attacks highlight the heightened threat to maritime operations.

India has advised its firms to keep nationals off Hormuz‑bound vessels, and the incentive scheme reflects the growing bottleneck of crew availability in a key oil‑export route.