Ship captains and crews transiting the Strait of Hormuz make so much danger pay that they're 'almost being viewed as mercenaries'

(Credit: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The high-risk, high-reward business of moving oil through the Strait of Hormuz has gotten riskier and more rewarding.

Despite steady attacks from Iran, oil tankers and other commercial vessels have continued flowing through the narrow waterway. With protection from the U.S. military and help from pipelines bypassing the strait, Persian Gulf oil flows returned to prewar levels.