Nippon Yusen, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and other major Japanese shipping companies have been paying crew members aboard vessels navigating the area around the Strait of Hormuz a special allowance equal to their base salary, it was learned on the 9th. The payments began in early March, immediately after the strait was effectively closed following U.S. strikes on Iran, with the aim of securing crew for voyages through waters exposed to the threat of military action.
As a result of labor-management negotiations, the International Mariners Management Association of Japan, whose membership includes major shipping lines, and the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the global umbrella organization of transport unions, designated the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman as “military action zones.” Under the arrangement, crew members engaged in voyages through the designated waters receive an allowance equal to their base salary depending on the number of days spent in the area. Upon entering the zone, an amount equivalent to five days of base pay is added, with additional payments accruing for each subsequent day.
On the compensation front, death benefits for crew members have been doubled, and shipping companies are also required to implement enhanced vessel safety measures. Crew members who do not wish to make such voyages are granted the right to refuse.
A source at a major shipping line noted that while the improved terms have led some crew members to volunteer for the voyages, others remain reluctant given the risks involved. The companies aim to secure the necessary crew numbers by bolstering allowances for hazardous duties.
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