1,900 Ships Reported Still Stuck in Strait of Hormuz

JAKARTA - Around 1,900 commercial vessels have been stranded in the Strait of Hormuz area, mainly in the Persian Gulf, since the United States (US) and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026.

Since the beginning of the attack, Tehran has effectively closed the strategic waterway to ships associated with the attacking country, bringing maritime traffic in the strait to a standstill.

Ships in the region preparing to cross the strait were unable to continue their journey due to military tensions, with most of the ships that were held dropping anchors in open waters.

Tehran said vessels from countries other than the US and Israel could still pass through the Strait of Hormuz as long as they did not engage in or support aggression against Iran and fully complied with safety and security rules.

As reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, spokesman for the integrated command of the Iranian armed forces, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, Wednesday (25/3), said Iran had changed the rules in the strait and the situation would not return to what it was before the war, while stressing that entities associated with the US and Israel had no right to pass through.

Based on the MarineTraffic real-time ship tracking data for the period from March 20 to 22, about 1,900 ships were unable to move around the Strait of Hormuz.

Among the ships that were held were about 324 bulk carriers, 315 oil carriers or chemical products, 267 oil product carriers, and 211 crude oil tankers.

Around 190 million barrels of crude and oil products are on board tankers stuck in the region, said analysis firm Vortexa.

In addition, there are 177 general cargo ships, 174 container ships, 98 liquefied petroleum gas carriers, 42 asphalt or bitumen carriers, 37 heavy-lift ships, and 34 LPG or chemical tankers in the region, while the rest consists of various types of other ships such as Ro-Ro ships, fuel carriers, and heavy-lift ships.

German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd reported that six of its ships could not operate in the Persian Gulf amid ongoing tensions.

Transportation fares soar, alternative routes limited

Director of maritime analysis of the Baltic and International Maritime Council, Filipe Gouveia, told Anadolu that the impact of the cessation of maritime traffic on the shipping market and freight rates would depend on various factors.

He said the development of fuel prices, the length of the strait closure, and the number of ships allowed by Iran to pass would be determining factors, while tensions in the region also contributed to the increase in freight rates.

The increase was mainly seen in the tanker market, including crude oil and oil product tankers.

He said that since February 27, the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index had increased by 49 percent and the Baltic Clean Tanker Index had increased by 78 percent until March 20, with freight rates in the container market also experiencing a spike.

The increase in fuel costs and the imposition of emergency additional fees by shipping companies also contributed to the increase.

He added that in normal conditions, about 30 percent of global oil exports are through sea routes, 4 percent dry bulk cargo, and 3 percent container volume crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

However, only a portion of exports from the Persian Gulf can be diverted to alternative sources, while the land route does not have the capacity to meet the usual cargo volume requirements.

He also said that about 5.5 percent of the world's tanker fleet and 1.5 percent of the dry cargo container fleet are currently in the Persian Gulf region.