Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Hormuz Shipping Falls as Middle East Maritime Risks Rise
Fewer ships traveled through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
Seven commodity ships used the waterway, compared with 14 the day before.
Four ships went in, and three ships went out.
None of the seven were very large oil tankers or liquefied natural gas tankers.
However, one very large gas carrier carrying propane and butane left through the Iranian route.
Fewer ships also traveled through the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Ship-tracking company Kpler collected the figures.
The data may not include ships that turned off their tracking devices.
Seven commodity ships transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, half the previous day’s total.
Four ships entered Hormuz and three exited, according to Kpler data.
The seven ships included no very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers.
One very large gas carrier carrying propane and butane exited Hormuz through the Iranian route.
Traffic through Bab el-Mandeb also declined, with 23 commodity ships transiting compared with 34 on each of the previous two days.
- Who
- Commodity ships, including tankers and a large gas carrier, were tracked by Kpler.
- What
- Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven commodity ships, while Bab el-Mandeb traffic fell to 23 ships.
- When
- Thursday, August 21; the report does not specify a year.
- Where
- The Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
- Why
- Shipping activity was being closely watched because of risks to Middle East shipping while United States-Iran peace talks remained unresolved.
- Hormuz traffic
- Seven commodity ships transited on Thursday.
- Hormuz direction
- Four ships entered and three exited.
- Large tankers at Hormuz
- No very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers were recorded.
- Large gas carrier
- One very large gas carrier carrying propane and butane exited Hormuz through the Iranian route.
- Bab el-Mandeb traffic
- Twenty-three commodity ships transited, down from 34 on each of the previous two days.
- Bab el-Mandeb exits
- Two exiting Suezmax tankers, Stoic Warrior and Dokos, carried crude oil bound for Vietnam and India.
- Data limitation
- Ships with transponders turned off do not appear in Kpler's data.