HORMUZ TRAFFIC STAYS IN SINGLE DIGITS AS RED SEA ROUTE SLOWS

Developing story: Vessel counts, transponder behavior, insurance rates and shipping advisories may change as conditions shift.

Commodity ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stayed in single digits, with Kpler data cited by Reuters showing only seven vessels transiting the waterway on Thursday. The figures confirm that the world’s most important energy chokepoint remains far from normal even as some cargoes move under special arrangements or with heightened caution.

The seven Hormuz crossings included four vessels entering and three exiting, Reuters reported. No very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers were among them. That absence matters because the largest crude and LNG carriers are central to global supply, price formation and refinery planning.

The Bab el-Mandeb route also slowed. Reuters reported that 23 commodity ships transited the Red Sea chokepoint on Thursday, down from 34 on each of the two previous days. No very large crude carriers or LNG tankers moved through Bab el-Mandeb that day either, narrowing options for shippers already avoiding Hormuz.

The two chokepoints are linked in practical terms. Hormuz moves Gulf oil and gas into global markets, while Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea, Suez route and Indian Ocean. When both are impaired, shippers have fewer alternatives, and costs can spread through fuel, food, chemicals and manufactured goods.

Public ship-tracking data has limits because vessels can turn off transponders. Still, visible traffic matters because it reflects normal commercial behavior and what insurers, traders and analysts can monitor. Low visible movement signals low confidence, even if some vessels are moving dark.

The traffic data also complicate political claims. Washington has said freedom of navigation must be restored. Iran says traffic depends on its conditions and has granted selected permissions. For shipowners, the operative fact is neither side’s slogan but whether cargo can move safely, legally and insurably.

What is confirmed is that Hormuz crossings remained in single digits and Bab el-Mandeb traffic fell. What remains unresolved is whether those levels reflect a temporary pause, a new permission-based system or a longer-term maritime shock that reshapes global energy logistics.

Fact-check date: August 22, 2026. Article type: News. Sources: Reuters; Kpler. Developing note: Vessel counts, transponder behavior, insurance rates and shipping advisories may change as conditions shift.