Five readiness checks before a Gulf voyage
With 93 ships hit and 24 seafarers killed since 28 February, what a vessel can settle before it sails into the Gulf or waits off Fujairah.
Tanker masters crossing the Strait of Hormuz are being offered the equivalent of $100,000 a month, plus a $50,000 bonus for each trip, according to a Financial Times report carried by The Economic Times. The reason is in the same report: International Maritime Organization data counts at least 93 ships hit since 28 February and 24 seafarers killed.
Pay prices the risk. It does not reduce it. What a ship can control is how ready it is if something goes wrong, and how clearly the voyage has been agreed with the people sailing it.
### 1. Lifesaving appliances
SOLAS Chapter III requires inflatable liferafts to be serviced at intervals not exceeding 12 months. Check every raft's service date before the voyage, not at the next port. Test lifeboat on-load release gear and davit winches, and log abandon-ship drills with the full crew.
### 2. Medical chest and PPE
Check the medical chest against the list your flag state requires, and top up trauma and burns supplies first. Make sure protective equipment is sized for the crew actually on board.
### 3. Firefighting equipment
Extinguishers, breathing apparatus sets and fire suits should be complete, charged and in date, with spare cylinders where the system allows.
### 4. Provisions and fresh water
A round trip into the Gulf typically takes about four days, and much of the cargo is transferred to tankers waiting off Fujairah. Waits at anchorage can run longer than planned. Carry provisions and fresh water for the delay, not only for the passage.
### 5. Crew terms in writing
An Indian seafarers' union told the FT that some owners are warning unwilling crew they will be replaced, with repatriation costs deducted from their wages. Setting out the route, the risk and any additional pay in writing before departure protects the crew and gives the master a crew that has agreed to the voyage.
### The cost side
War-risk insurance is running at 6% to 10% of hull value, according to brokers cited by the FT. Against that, the cost of the checks above is small, and they are the part of the voyage a ship's own crew can settle before sailing.
A2Z Ship Stores supplies provisions, safety equipment and medical stores to vessels at berth and anchorage, including at the port of Fujairah, U.A.E.
*Sources: Financial Times, via The Economic Times, 7 October 2026; SOLAS Chapter III, Regulation 20.*