Israel says Iran’s intelligence chief has been killed in overnight airstrike in latest attack on regime: Live updates
Here are key facts and figures about the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route that has been nearly paralyzed by the Middle East war.
About a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas passes through the waterway in peacetime.
The war broke out on February 28 when the United States and Israel began bombing Iran; This led Iran to retaliate with attacks in the region and restrict access to the strait.
According to the British naval maritime security agency UKMTO, 21 commercial ships, including 10 tankers, have been attacked or reported incidents in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz or Gulf of Oman since March 1, 2026. An additional four attacks by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on all ship types were also not confirmed by international authorities.
According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), at least eight seafarers or dockers have died in incidents in the region since the conflict began. Four more people were missing and 10 were injured.
Traffic in the strait has decreased by 97 percent compared to pre-war levels, according to analysis published Tuesday by naval intelligence group Windward. The canal usually sees around 120 passages daily, but there were only 77 in the two weeks following the outbreak of war, according to shipping industry intelligence website Lloyd’s List.
According to the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO), approximately 20,000 seafarers are affected in the region, as well as cruise ship passengers, port workers and offshore crews. The IMO estimates there are currently at least 3,000 ships there; two-thirds of these are “large merchant ships engaged in international trade”.
Researchers at HSBC bank said in a March 14 report that ship fuel prices have risen 87 percent since the start of the conflict, reaching levels seen after Russia begins its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
