Facts about Strait of Hormuz shipping blockade

2026-03-26 - 12:54

Here are key facts and figures about the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route virtually paralysed by the Middle East war. Around a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the waterway in peacetime. The war erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes across the region and sharply restrict access to the strait. 26 ships approved by Iran Recent crossings appeared to have mainly used a route apparently approved by Iran around Larak Island just off the country’s coast, dubbed the “Tehran toll booth” by leading shipping journal Lloyd’s List. The journal said Wednesday it had tracked more than 26 ships using the corridor overall, most Greek- and Chinese-owned, as well as others Indian-, Pakistani- and Syrian-owned. No ships tracked using transponder data had crossed the Strait of Hormuz using the regular route outside that corridor since March 15, according to the journal. 95% shipping drop Just two vessels were detected crossing the strait heading west on Thursday. Both ships were dry bulk carriers transporting corn and reported Iran’s Bandar Imam Khomeini port as their destination, according to Kpler data. The channel typically sees around 120 daily transits, according to shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd’s List. From March 1 to 26, commodities carriers made just 158 crossings, according to analytics firm Kpler — a decrease of 95 percent. Of these, 100 were by oil tankers and gas carriers and most were travelling east out of the strait. No reported incidents since March 22 Since March 1, 2026, 24 commercial vessels, including 11 tankers, have been attacked or reported incidents in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman, according to the British naval maritime security agency UKMTO. No incidents have been reported since Sunday, when the bulk carrier Phoenix reported an explosion next to the ship in Emirati waters, according to the UKMTO. Across all types of vessels, an additional four attacks claimed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have not been confirmed by international authorities. Eight sea workers killed Since the conflict began, at least eight seafarers or dock workers have died in incidents in the region, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). A further four remained missing and 10 were injured. Around 20,000 seafarers are affected in the region, according to the IMO. 300 oil, gas ships signal Around 2,170 vessels sent transponder signals in the Gulf west of the Strait of Hormuz in the past day, according to Bloomberg data. Of those, 291 were tankers, including 78 crude oil and oil products tankers, 14 LNG tankers and 30 LPG tankers. 55 sanctioned ships Since the war started, more than 43 percent of the crossings have been by ships under US, EU or UK sanctions, according to an AFP analysis of passage data. Of the crossings by oil and gas tankers, 56 percent were by vessels under sanctions. Vanguard News