Six months into Iran war, Hormuz traffic way down, sailors stranded
Six months into the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz remains largely paralyzed with significantly reduced maritime traffic. Data shows a sharp decline in commodity shipments and an increase in 'dark' vessel transits due to security concerns.
Why it matters
The disruption of this critical maritime chokepoint has major implications for global energy supplies and international shipping logistics.
Strait of Hormuz and raw materials: traffic six times less between February and August 2026 — Sophie RAMIS, Luca MATTEUCCI Six months since the start of the Middle East war, the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains largely paralysed, with thousands of sailors still stranded in the Gulf and commodity carrier traffic way below its normal level.
Before Iran blocked the strait in response to joint US-Israeli strikes in February, around one fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas exports passed through the waterway.
Iran's Guards have also warned of a "danger zone" covering 1,400 square kilometres where mines may be present.
After Iran closed the strait on March 1, commodity carrier traffic plummeted to an average of 10 transits per day, compared with a daily average of 95 in February, according to an AFP analysis of data from maritime tracker Kpler.
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