Two Chinese supertankers loaded with crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz hours after a Greek vessel moved through the waterway, marking a significant uptick in oil shipping traffic days after a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran was announced.
President Donald Trump’s insistence that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the two sides head for diplomatic talks this weekend is having no effect, with transit still largely limited to Tehran-linked vessels.
Saudi Arabia’s oil exports via the Red Sea are holding steady for now, as the impact of a drone attack on its vital cross-country pipeline has yet to filter through.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital route for exports of oil, natural gas and other commodities from the Persian Gulf — remains severely constrained by Iran, even after a US-Iran ceasefire took effect on April 8.
A satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz Photographer: Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025/Getty Images
OPEC’s crude oil production plunged by the most in at least four decades in March as conflict in the Middle East throttled exports from key members, according to a Bloomberg survey.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has climbed to its highest levels since the early days of the war, as more countries secure apparent safe-passage agreements with Iran.
A vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on March 22, 2026. Photographer: Getty Images/Getty Images Europe
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has climbed to its highest levels since the early days of the war, as more countries secure apparent safe-passage agreements with Iran.
A vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on March 22, 2026. Photographer: Getty Images/Getty Images Europe
A Suezmax oil tanker hauling about 1 million barrels of Iraqi crude exited the Persian Gulf via a northerly route through Iranian waters on Sunday morning, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
Traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz has been picking up in the past week, with the seven-day rolling average for transits on Friday reaching the highest since the war started.
Three tankers broadcasting Omani ownership appear to have navigated the Strait of Hormuz by hugging their home country’s coastline, indicating a different route to a northerly path through Iranian waters.
A bulk carrier at Muscat Anchorage in Muscat, Oman.
Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports fell by half in March after Iran effectively prevented tankers from leaving the Persian Gulf, forcing the kingdom to reroute flows to its west coast.
An oil tanker at the port of Ras al-Khair, about 185 kilometres north of Dammam in Saudi Arabia's eastern province overlooking the Gulf.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital route for exports of oil, natural gas and other commodities from the Persian Gulf — remains severely constrained more than a month after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
A satellite view of the Strait of Hormuz Photographer: Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025/Getty Images
The number of vessels transiting Hormuz with their signals on is ticking gently higher, even as the waterway remains effectively closed to most commercial shipping without clearance from Iran.
A tug boat tows a ship off the northern Oman's Musandam Peninsula, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz on June 24.
A small cargo of Saudi crude is heading to Pakistan after crossing the Strait of Hormuz along a route hugging the Iranian coastline. A total of seven vessels were visible leaving the Persian Gulf on Saturday.
A trickle of ships are crossing the Strait of Hormuz along a route hugging the Iranian coastline as the war enters a second month. Only four vessels have been visible leaving the Persian Gulf over the past day.
Two LPG tankers and two bulk carriers exit the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on March 28, 2026.
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