UN Shipping Chief Criticises Large Payouts to Crews Crossing the Strait of Hormuz

Arsenio Domínguez, the IMO's secretary general, told a press conference at the agency's London headquarters on Monday that he could not stop crews from accepting the payments, but would keep warning them about the risks. "It is just not safe to go through the Strait of Hormuz," he said, according to AGBI. "I can't stop them. I'll keep the message saying: 'Just stop going through the strait.'"

Tanker captains are being paid the equivalent of $100,000 a month plus $50,000 per crossing, and ordinary crew members are getting four to six times their usual pay, the Financial Times reported, as cited by AGBI. Domínguez said the bonuses made it harder to persuade crews to stay away.

Incidents and Mines

The IMO has recorded 125 confirmed incidents involving commercial shipping in the Gulf region since the conflict began, with 24 seafarers killed, according to figures published on Monday. In a paper submitted to the IMO Council this week, Domínguez wrote that sailors were becoming "pawns in geopolitical disputes in which they have no stake and over which they have no control."

Recent attacks have included limpet mines, magnetic explosives fixed to ships' hulls. The Financial Times reported last week that two such devices were attached to the Dubai-owned tanker Louise 1, causing an engine-room fire. Domínguez said he could neither confirm that limpet mines had been used on commercial vessels nor rule out mines in the strait, and added that it was hard to tell whether ships had been hit by mines, drones or missiles. "There's no confirmation there are no mines in the region, so I cannot guarantee that it's safe," he said.

He also said shuttle tankers turning off their automatic identification systems were making it harder to know how many ships were crossing, and that Saudi-linked vessels were still being singled out for attack in the Bab al-Mandab strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.

Fees and Freedom of Navigation

Iran has tried to charge fees to vessels crossing the strait. Domínguez repeated his opposition to compulsory charges for passage through an international waterway, saying that ships "shouldn't be paying" if payment is demanded to transit a strait. He said talks were continuing, outside the formal IMO process, on an Omani proposal for voluntary contributions to fund maritime safety in Hormuz after the conflict, and described it as possibly "a viable one," though no agreement has been reached.

The comments matter for Gulf exporters, shipowners, insurers and traders. Higher crew costs, insurance premiums and uncertainty over traffic numbers are all feeding into the cost of moving energy and goods through the region. AGBI noted fears of renewed US military action against Iran after Tuesday's US midterm elections.

The IMO Council is meeting in London this week. Its agenda includes a proposal to extend Domínguez's term to the end of 2031.