Number of ships transiting Strait of Hormuz falls to three on September 16, data shows — SkimNews
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- Strait of Hormuz transits fell to just three commodity vessels on Wednesday (September 16, 2026), down from 12 the prior day and well below the 10-day average of about 17, per preliminary Kpler ship-tracking data released Thursday.
- The three vessels consisted of an empty Supramax dry bulk ship entering via the Iranian route, an empty petroleum product tanker entering through a dark route (AIS transponder off), and a Panamax tanker exiting using a dark route.
- The transit figures exclude any vessels that may have passed with their Automatic Identification System transponders turned off, meaning detectable traffic alone captured just three ships.
- Saudi Arabia pounded Yemen with warplanes this week while Houthi fighters launched drones and missiles at Saudi cities, the escalating conflict driving shippers away from the waterway.
- The Houthis' rapid advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast and damage to Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline have widened Tehran's reach and 'raised risks to global oil supplies,' per the source.
- Red Sea crossings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait eased to 21 vessels on Wednesday, down from 24 the day before, reflecting parallel disruption across both Gulf-region chokepoints.
Why it matters: With only three ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthis' advance already damaging Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, two of the region's critical oil corridors are now under simultaneous strain. The shift to dark routes — vessels turning off transponders to avoid detection — shows shippers are already self-routing around the danger zone, shrinking the pool of traceable tanker movements.
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