Kuwaiti Tanker Evacuated Following Iranian Attack in the Strait of Hormuz

​A fresh maritime assault has been reported in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting a vessel off the eastern coast of the Musandam Peninsula. On Monday at around 2010 UTC, third parties intercepted a distress call broadcast over VHF Channel 16. The tanker's crew reported they had been struck by an unidentified projectile roughly eight nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman. By early Tuesday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that the crew had abandoned the vessel and were drifting in a lifeboat awaiting rescue.
​The targeted vessel has been identified as the Kuwaiti product tanker Kaifan (IMO 9656046) by Martin Kelly of the EOS Risk Group. Kelly noted that the Kaifan suffered an engine room fire triggered by either a drone or missile strike. The incident closely mirrors the pattern of an Iranian strike over the weekend against another product tanker, the Kavomaleas.
​High Financial Rewards Drive Seafarers to Face Escalating Risks
​Although the tankers operating within the Gulf are typically owned by Western firms or GCC nations, their crews are primarily composed of mariners from major seafaring countries like India and the Philippines. To maintain adequate staffing levels despite these severe security hazards, shipowners are offering lucrative financial incentives. According to Bloomberg, these hazard bonuses can amount to six times a standard monthly salary, or up to half a year’s base pay for completing just a single round trip in and out of the Gulf.
​By accepting these dangerous transit assignments, crew members make a calculated decision to waive their legal right to safely disembark before entering hostile waters, choosing instead to pursue outsized earnings. For a standard able seaman, a six-month bonus translates to roughly $15,000—a sum nearly three times higher than the average annual household income in the Philippines. Meanwhile, a shipmaster can command an additional $60,000 to $80,000 or more per voyage, driven by prevailing market rates and specialized tanker premiums.