October 23, 2026 Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz
The Artificial Intelligence compilation on Google states this:
Current Traffic Status (October 23, 2026)
- Daily Transits: Roughly 14 vessels crossed the strait recently (9 inbound and 5 outbound, including 2 dark/untracked vessels), up slightly from previous days but severely reduced compared to the pre-crisis average of about 85 to 94 ships per day. [1, 2, 3]
- Operational Status: Listed as Restricted with ongoing GPS jamming, AIS spoofing, and elevated threats of vessel attacks or mine hazards near the waterway. [1, 2, 3]
- Control Dispute: The U.S. maintains the corridor is open under naval coordination—focusing largely on routes hugging the Omani coast—while Iran claims the strait is closed and demands explicit transit permits through its territorial waters. [1, 2, 3]
This is a visual of what it looks like:
The US attacked Iran on February 28, 2026, in an action unvetted and unapproved by Congress. We were told it was a limited action that would end in a week or so. It is now 8 months, at catastrophic costs to the USA.
From CBS News:
What to know about the Iran war today:
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz has told the Financial Times the war with Iran could last another year, but the Trump administration envoy said he hopes the Iranians “come to the table” before that.
- The price of Brent crude oil briefly crossed $117 a barrel Friday, its highest level during the war, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed to have disabled seven tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump accused Iran Thursday of lying about attacks on ships to drive up oil prices before the U.S. midterm elections.
- State-owned energy giant Saudi Aramco said Thursday that the amount of oil flowing through its East-West pipeline, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, had more than tripled from 2 million to 7 million barrels per day, as uncertainty hangs over exports across the Middle East.
September 12, 2026 Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz
This is what I love about the internet – there are people out there with information, and they are willing to share. I found this information on Strait of Hormuz Live Traffic Tracker, an independently compilation of publicly available information sources.
Below is from MarineTraffic.com:
The Strait of Hormuz, 17 August 2026
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has effectively ground to a halt as a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire expires and recent tanker attacks deter operators. Daily transits have plummeted to just 3 to 4 commercial crossings—down roughly 90% from pre-crisis levels—leaving a massive backlog of thousands of idling vessels waiting offshore.
Current Traffic Status
- Daily Transits: Only 3 to 4 verified ship crossings occurred over the last 24 hours, compared to pre-conflict averages of 60 to 135 daily.
- Vessel Backlog: Approximately 3,200 ships—including roughly 800 oil tankers and cargo carriers—remain backed up and idling west of the waterway.
- Oil Shipments: Commercial crude oil and major petroleum product shipments are virtually non-existent as operators adopt a strict wait-and-see stance.
Bab el Mendeb and the Strait of Hormuz
Most people have no idea why these chokepoints are so important until they see it with their own eyes. Here is what they look like on Google Earth.
The Bab el Mendeb is at the tip of Djibouti, on the left. The Strait of Hormuz is between Iran and the northern tip of Oman, on your right. Qatar is that little thumb of land sticking out in the Persian Gulf.
Saudi Arabian oil and Qatari natural gas are blocked if these two chokepoints are no longer open.
Four years ago, during the last World Cup, we were on the Oceania Nautica and went through the Suez Canal, the Bab el Mandeb, and the Strait of Hormuz. We booked this tour especially to see these geographic chokepoints. We were shocked when there was no lecture on these geographic features, their origins, or their importance as shipping lanes – and there was no announcement when we went through the Bab or the Strait. Imagine!
Today in the Strait of Hormuz
When you treat your friends badly and no one comes to help you when you screw up:
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