Fewer than 20 ships transit key Strait of Hormuz over weekend, data shows
Shipping data indicates that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped significantly, with fewer than 20 commodity vessels transiting over the weekend. The decline is attributed to ongoing blockades and security incidents involving projectile strikes in the region.
Why it matters
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy chokepoint; sustained disruptions to shipping traffic pose significant risks to global oil and gas supply chains.
Fewer than 20 commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend, shipping data showed on Monday (August 24, 2026), as Iranian and U.S. blockades restrict traffic through the chokepoint for energy shipments.
Four vessels crossed the strait on Sunday (August 23, 2026), initial data from shiptracker Kpler showed by 0228 GMT, with 13 on Saturday (August 22, 2026). The figures could change as some ships had switched off transponders on their way through.
That compared with Friday’s (August 21, 2026) figure of 16 transits, with two empty very large crude carriers (VLCCs) entering the Gulf with the tracking devices switched off, one heading to Iraq and the other to Bahrain, the data showed.
A VLCC carrying 2 million barrels of Emirati crude exited the strait on Thursday (August 20, 2026).
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