Commercial shipping through one of the world’s most closely watched maritime Tanker corridors has slowed markedly in recent weeks, according to shipping data reviewed by analysts. A total of 17 commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz over a recent weekend, down from 37 the week before, industry data showed, as tension in the Gulf continued amid a standoff between the United States and Iran. The figures illustrate how a waterway once responsible for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows has seen visible traffic dwindle to a trickle since the conflict began.
What the Data Shows
Provisional figures from the analytics firm Kpler, cited by shipping reporters, indicate that among trackable vessels, five ships exited the strait on a recent Sunday, while two small oil tankers entered the Gulf. The vessels that departed included:
- The very large crude carrier Pinios
- Two tankers carrying refined oil products
- Two empty carriers used for bulk goods and gas
The Pinios was reported to be transferring roughly 2 million barrels of Iraqi Basrah crude oil off Fujairah to another very large crude carrier, New Constant, which was said to be heading toward China, according to Kpler and LSEG data. The companies managing both vessels did not immediately respond to requests for comment, underscoring how much of the picture rests on third-party tracking rather than direct confirmation from shipowners.
On the preceding Saturday, eight vessels—including a supertanker—reportedly left the Gulf carrying crude oil, agricultural and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and fertilizer, while a very large gas carrier and another crude carrier entered. A liquefied natural gas tanker, the Shandong Redwood, loaded at Qatar’s Ras Laffan port, was reported to have exited the strait bound for Pakistan.
Comparing Current Flows to Pre-Conflict Levels
Before the US-Israeli military action against Iran began, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels per day, spanning tankers, gas carriers, bulk carriers, and container ships, according to the cited shipping data. That baseline offers a reference point for how sharply visible traffic has contracted, though analysts note that Middle Eastern producers have continued exporting oil on tankers operating with transponders switched off—a practice that makes it difficult to fully quantify actual trade flows using satellite-tracked data alone.
For the week of September 13, a total of 22 tankers, most of them very large crude carriers, exited the strait carrying a combined 42 million barrels of crude, Kpler data showed. Farther south, at the Bab Al-Mandab Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, 51 vessels crossed over a recent weekend, with 33 exiting, including an Aframax-sized tanker carrying roughly 700,000 barrels of Saudi crude. That total was down from 57 vessels the previous weekend, pointing to a broader regional pattern rather than an isolated disruption.
Wider Repercussions Beyond Shipping Lanes
The shipping slowdown has coincided with political and economic ripple effects far from the Gulf itself. In the United States, rising fuel prices—including a reported surge in diesel to record highs—have become a point of contention in competitive Senate races. Readers following Iran war news may note that some candidates who previously supported continued military action have since called publicly for a swift end to the conflict, citing the toll on consumers at the pump. Public opinion polling cited alongside these developments has also shown shifting approval ratings tied to the broader economic strain, though such figures reflect a single point in time and should be read in that context.
Analysts caution against drawing firm conclusions from any single week of transit figures, since vessel counts can fluctuate for reasons unrelated to the broader security situation, including routine maintenance schedules, seasonal demand shifts, and normal fluctuations in trade volumes. Still, the consistency of the decline across multiple reporting periods, paired with the practice of transponders being switched off, suggests that monitoring firms and market participants are working with an incomplete picture of actual traffic through the corridor.
In the End
What is clear from the available data is that a critical global energy corridor continues to operate under strain, with both visible and untracked shipping activity shaping outcomes that extend well beyond the region. As monitoring firms continue to refine their estimates, one question worth watching is how long shippers, insurers, and energy markets can adapt to this level of uncertainty before broader supply chains feel a more lasting impact.