Shipping chokepoints today
Daily ship traffic through the 13 sea routes that move most of the world's oil, LNG and container trade, from IMF PortWatch data up to Nov 8, 2026. Sorted with the most disrupted first.
| Chokepoint | Ships a day (7-day avg) | vs 90-day avg | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosphorus (Turkish Straits) | 45.4 | -15% | critical |
| Cape of Good Hope | 77.9 | -12% | – |
| Korea Strait | 198.3 | -6% | – |
| Strait of Hormuz | 3.9 | -4% | critical |
| Bab el-Mandeb | 26.3 | -4% | critical |
| Panama Canal | 27.3 | -3% | – |
| Taiwan Strait | 229.9 | 0% | critical |
| Strait of Gibraltar | 136 | +5% | – |
| Suez Canal | 44.4 | +7% | critical |
| Strait of Malacca | 235.9 | +8% | – |
| Dover Strait | 177.3 | +9% | – |
| Lombok Strait | 40.9 | +11% | – |
| Kerch Strait | 0 | – | – |
Why chokepoints move markets
A handful of narrow straits and canals carry most seaborne energy and goods. When traffic through one of them drops, because of war, attacks, drought or blockades, ships either wait or take longer routes. That tightens tanker and container capacity, raises freight and insurance costs, and can move crude, LNG, grain and shipping stocks within days. Comparing each chokepoint's last 7 days with its previous 90-day average shows where trade is actually being disrupted, not just where headlines are.
Counts are ships detected by satellite AIS and published by IMF PortWatch, which runs a few days behind real time.