Shipping data on Monday, September 21, 2026, showed that 12 commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday and Sunday, down from 35 vessels at the start of the previous week, as tensions in the Gulf continued and the standoff between the United States and Iran persisted.
Monitored vessel traffic declines
Monitored shipping traffic through the strait has declined. Before the war, one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed through the waterway, while Middle Eastern oil producers continued exporting crude aboard tankers that had switched off their automatic identification systems.
Preliminary data from Kpler showed that four trackable vessels left the strait on Sunday, including two tankers carrying refined petroleum products and two empty vessels for dry bulk commodities and gas, while two small oil tankers entered the Gulf.
Agricultural cargoes, liquefied gas and fertilisers
Five vessels left the Gulf on Saturday carrying agricultural products, liquefied petroleum gas and fertilisers, while an empty very large gas carrier entered the waterway, according to Kpler data.
Before the war between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28, the Strait of Hormuz typically received about 125 large commercial vessels a day, including oil and gas tankers, dry bulk vessels and container ships.
