KARACHI: Pakistani seafarers are weighing high-risk bonuses against growing dangers in Middle Eastern waters, as attacks on commercial vessels leave crews dead, stranded or unable to return home amid the prolonged US-Iran war.

The conflict, which began on Feb. 28, has severely disrupted navigation around the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway connecting the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman through which about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies previously passed.

Attacks have killed seafarers, damaged merchant vessels and disrupted crew changes, leaving sailors unable to disembark while replacements remain reluctant to enter the conflictzone. Vessel traffic through the strait has fallen sharply during periods of heightened fighting.

For 28-year-old Pakistani seafarer Fayaz Khan, the additional $350 he received for spending 17 days in a designated high-risk area did little to compensate for the possibility of a missile or drone striking his ship.

“People value their lives, not money. Money can be earned, but once life is lost, you cannot get it back,” Khan told Arab News outside the Karachi office of M International Group, one of Pakistan’s oldest seafarer recruitment agencies.

Khan, who has worked aboard international vessels since 2023, said his monthly pay of around $1,300 could rise to approximately $1,800 with high-risk allowances. His seven-month stint aboard an Iranian-flagged vessel, however, left him reluctant to return to conflict-affected waters.

“I was afraid that, God forbid, an accident might happen,” he said.

“Now the situation in the war zone is such that we are facing a lot of difficulties,” Khan added. “Because there are attacks happening there and we don’t like to go there.”

The vessel carried cargo between Iran and Asia, including Singapore and China, and conducted ship-to-ship transfers in Singapore, Khan said. Such operations involve moving cargo directly between vessels at sea rather than unloading it at a port.

“The situation in Iran is very bad,” he said. “That’s why we don’t like to embark on Iranian ships.”

Some international collective-bargaining agreements give seafarers the right to refuse assignments in designated high-risk Middle Eastern waters without penalty. Under protections announced by the International Bargaining Forum in March, eligible workers who refuse must be repatriated at the company’s expense and receive compensation, while those who proceed qualify for additional pay and enhanced death or disability benefits.

The protections do not necessarily cover every seafarer or vessel, making individual employment contracts important in determining what compensation and rights are available.

‘THREAT TO LIFE’

For Tauseefullah, a merchant navy officer who has worked at sea for about a decade, the danger is compounded by uncertainty over whether crews can leave affected waters.

“A lot of people are stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. There is no sign-on, sign-off. There is no crew change at all,” he said while visiting the Pakistan Shipping Office in Karachi to renew his documents.

Tauseefullah said several former classmates and colleagues were stranded in the region.

“I talk to them. They miss their families. They are not able to come to their homes,” he said.

“Drones can come from anywhere, a missile can hit from anywhere.”

Arab News contacted Pakistan’s maritime ministry spokesperson Muhammad Arshad for details of any Pakistani seafarers awaiting repatriation and measures being taken to assist them. He did not respond, while Director Shipping Asif Haroon declined to comment without approval from senior officials.

The International Maritime Organization says around 20,000 seafarers, port workers and offshore personnel have been affected by the regional instability. As of Sept. 15, it had verified 80 attacks on merchant vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began, killing at least 22 seafarers.

The UN shipping agency developed an evacuation framework after thousands became stranded but paused the operation following an attack in June because safe passage could no longer be guaranteed. It said 136 vessels carrying approximately 2,900 seafarers were evacuated before the suspension, while around 6,000 sailors remained unable to leave safely.

Pakistan has approximately 34,000 registered seafarers, around 22,000 of whom are active, according to official figures. Three Pakistani crew members were killed in a Houthi attack on a commercial vessel near Yemen in August, highlighting the risks facing sailors across the wider region.

Syed Tahir Hussain, secretary-general of the Pakistan Ship Agents Association, said the conflict had disrupted crew changes, repatriation, refueling and the delivery of essential supplies.

“It has a very negative impact on seafarers,” he said. “It has a heavy toll on their health and mentality. Obviously, the threat to life has increased due to the war.”

Families were also becoming increasingly reluctant to allow seafarers to accept assignments in dangerous waters, Hussain said.

Adnan Mahmoodi, CEO of M International Group, said safety concerns were influencing decisions but economic necessity meant many Pakistani seafarers could not simply reject work.

“I wouldn’t say there’s a complete decline of seafarers going to sea, because, again, it’s a compulsion,” he said.

“You’ve got to bring bread to the table.”

Pakistan’s Shipping Directorate advised seafarers in July to exercise “utmost caution” before accepting employment in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The circular, however, did not specifically address the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz or explain what government assistance would be available to Pakistanis stranded there.

For Khan, no financial incentive can eliminate that uncertainty.

“Because there are attacks happening there and we don’t like to go there,” he said.