Middle East tanker transits July 28-August 3, 2026: Strait of Hormuz 2.3/day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait 10.0/day

 BAM dropped off to just 6.75/day after July 30 from 14.3/day before.

 

Global crude oil production is down 12.1% from 4Q2025 in 2Q2026, and the United States cannot close the gap created in OPEC+

 

Suez Canal Transits 2Q2026 vs. 2Q2023 are still down almost 48% for vessels and 60% for tonnage because of the Houthi threat in the Red Sea

 

2Q2026

Number of vessels 3580 (down 47.8%)

Net Ton 163,899,000 (down 59.7%)

 

Number of Tankers 1526 (down 31.7%)

Net Ton 77,558,000 (down 27.9%)

Tankers per day 16.8 

 

2Q2023

 

Number of vessels 6856

Net Ton 407,119,000 

 

Number of Tankers 2235

Net Ton 107,592,000

Tankers per day 24.6 

 

Middle East tanker transits July 26-August 1, 2026: Strait of Hormuz 2.0/day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait 10.7/day

SoH normal 2022: 70.0/day

BAM normal 2022: 30.0/day

AAA fuel price average to start August 2026: $4.10/gallon

 

Middle East tanker traffic July 23-29, 2026: Strait of Hormuz 1.3 per day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait 10.7 per day

 I find the Traffic Trends claim in JMIC Update 078 for BAM REALLY difficult to believe.

Combined cargo and tankers in the tables averages 35 per day on July 28 and July 29 compared with baseline 60.

Baseline tankers alone would be 30 per day, instead they're showing 13 per day average for the two days, 10.7 per day over the seven days. 

The claim is that vessels are running dark. 

But the Saudis are loading NOTHING at Ras Tanura in the Persian Gulf, where there is also oil in the water in satellite photography, and the Houthis droned Saudi oil infrastructure to Yanbu in the Red Sea on Monday. 

Meanwhile somebody droned two gas vessels at the Egyptian port of Damietta on The Med on Wednesday, clearly meant to signal that the Suez option's days may be numbered.

The oil business is a confidence game, and the authorities have a vested interest in maintaining it to prevent public panic.

Gasoline is now $4.49/gallon where I live. 

Middle East tanker transits July 21-27, 2026: Strait of Hormuz 1.1/day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait 9.9/day

Vessels evidently are running dark to avoid being targeted by the Houthis.  

JMIC Update 077:

... Open-source data tracking Bab el Mandeb transits with AIS-on decreased from an approximate daily average of 50 vessels to 20 since July 24th. Coalition naval units are present in the area. ...

Middle East tanker transits July 19-25, 2026: Strait of Hormuz down to 1.6/day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait down to 12.7/day

Normal (2022) Strait of Hormuz tanker transits is at least 70/day, Bab-el-Mandeb 30/day.

Combined Cargo and Tankers UKMTO JMIC Update 076

Middle East tanker transits July 16-22, 2026: Strait of Hormuz 2.0/day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait 14.6/day

BAM transits fell in JMIC Update 075 to 10.0/day since the Houthi Rebels announced on July 20 a blockade of Saudi shipping through the chokepoint. SE traffic fell to 4.0/day.

A product tanker is at anchor in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia after it was attacked by the Houthis on July 22.

Professional observers report some tankers abandoning their runs SE and turning back NW while Chinese VLCCs apparently are being green-lighted through despite loading with Saudi oil at Yanbu. 

VLCCs fully laden cannot transit the Suez Canal due to size constraints and must partially off-load before transiting and then re-load on the Mediterranean side of the canal.

 

Middle East tanker transits July 14-20, 2026: Strait of Hormuz 3.4/day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait 17.3/day

 From JMIC Update 074:

... According to regional reporting, Iran has instructed the Houthis to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route should the United States strike Iranian power infrastructure. Sources close to the group stated that the Houthis have completed preparations to attack shipping, including the deployment of missiles and drones positioned near Bab el-Mandeb. ...

Looks like Trump's 2025 loss in the Red Sea is coming back to bite

 Iran’s Houthi allies declare maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, escalating threat to oil market

Rubio might as well be Pilate washing his hands and saying he is innocent of the Persian Gulf debacle

 Rubio: "It Is Not The United States' Job To Protect Shipping For The Entire Planet, Forever"

 

 

Middle East tanker transits per JMIC update 073 July 12-18, 2026: Strait of Hormuz 3.3/day, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait 18.0/day

 

Middle East tanker transits fall to 4.3/day through the Strait of Hormuz July 9-15, 2026, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait transits rise to 18.9/day

 

Trump promised to cut our energy bills in half by now, but natural gas and electricity have never cost more

 

Middle East tanker transits July 7-13, 2026 fall sharply to 6 per day in the Strait of Hormuz

SoH: 6.0/day

SoH E: 3.4/day

SoH W: 2.6/day

 

BAM: 16.7/day

BAM SE: 7.9/day

BAM NW: 8.9/day 

CPI energy inflation averaged 1.2% under Trump I lolol, but 15.7% in June 2026, 19.0% in 2Q2026, and 11.7% in 1H2026

 Why did the squirrel cross the road?

 

June 2026

2Q2026

1H2026

 

The whole world is laughing at Trump's stupid Strait of Hormuz toll proposal, especially Iran

A 20% charge on a fully loaded VLCC is $30 million. Iran is widely believed to be charging less than 2%.

Trump is a buffoon.

 

Global shipping industry sounds the alarm over Trump’s Hormuz toll plan 

... Shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd has said it is “fundamentally wrong” to charge tolls for passage through international waters, regardless of the country in charge. 

“Tolls for infrastructure such as the Suez Canal or Panama Canal are different, because they reflect major infrastructure investments,” the firm said in a statement. “That is not the case in the Strait of Hormuz.” ...

So Trump isn't really worried about a global recession triggered by high energy prices after all

 Brent oil jumps more than 9%, biggest daily gain since 2020, after Trump reinstates Iran blockade

... Brent crude futures advanced 9.6% to close at $83.30 per barrel. It was the international benchmark’s best daily performance since May 2020. West Texas Intermediate futures gained 9.4% to settle at $78.14. ...  

 

Trump's protection racket in the Strait of Hormuz effectively blockades the good guys, violates international law same as Iran

 UN maritime agency opposes Hormuz transit fees after Trump demands protection money

The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, said Monday that it opposes transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump demanded that ships pay protection money.

“We have always been consistent on our stance on fees – IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation,” a spokesperson said.

“There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait,” the spokesperson said.

... Tolls to transit Hormuz are against international law, said James Kraska, an expert on international maritime law at the U.S. Naval War College. The world has an unimpeded right to transit Hormuz, Kraska said. ...