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Hormuz Oil Flows Plunge Nearly 30 Percent in Q1 2026
(MENAFN) Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz plunged by nearly 30% in the first quarter of 2026 relative to the preceding three months, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Wednesday, underscoring the deepening toll that instability in the region is inflicting on global energy flows.
According to freshly released EIA Global Energy Security Data, the combined volume of crude oil, condensate, and petroleum products transiting the strategically vital waterway tumbled to 14.6 million barrels per day between January and March — a sharp retreat from the 20.7 million barrels per day recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025. The decline is equally stark on a year-over-year basis: the same quarter in 2025 saw 20.4 million barrels per day move through the strait.
Breaking the figures down by category, crude oil and condensate flows through Hormuz contracted to 10.7 million barrels per day from 15.2 million in the prior quarter, while petroleum product flows receded to 3.9 million barrels per day from 5.5 million. Liquefied natural gas shipments through the strait were similarly battered, sliding to 7.3 billion cubic feet per day in the first quarter from 10.1 billion cubic feet per day in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The EIA cautioned that its estimates draw on tanker-tracking data from Vortexa, augmented by internal analysis, while flagging significant data integrity concerns. Ship-tracking information for vessels navigating Hormuz has become "especially unreliable" since the end of February 2026, the agency noted, adding that its 2026 Hormuz volume figures are being revised on a rolling basis as more reliable data becomes available.
As traffic through Hormuz cratered, alternative maritime routes absorbed a portion of the displaced energy trade. Oil volumes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait edged up to 5.4 million barrels per day in the first quarter from 5.2 million in the previous quarter, while flows through the Panama Canal rose modestly to 2.9 million barrels per day from 2.8 million over the same timeframe.
The Strait of Hormuz, nestled between Iran and Oman, serves as the world's most consequential energy chokepoint, channeling the bulk of Gulf producers' oil and gas exports to international markets.
According to freshly released EIA Global Energy Security Data, the combined volume of crude oil, condensate, and petroleum products transiting the strategically vital waterway tumbled to 14.6 million barrels per day between January and March — a sharp retreat from the 20.7 million barrels per day recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025. The decline is equally stark on a year-over-year basis: the same quarter in 2025 saw 20.4 million barrels per day move through the strait.
Breaking the figures down by category, crude oil and condensate flows through Hormuz contracted to 10.7 million barrels per day from 15.2 million in the prior quarter, while petroleum product flows receded to 3.9 million barrels per day from 5.5 million. Liquefied natural gas shipments through the strait were similarly battered, sliding to 7.3 billion cubic feet per day in the first quarter from 10.1 billion cubic feet per day in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The EIA cautioned that its estimates draw on tanker-tracking data from Vortexa, augmented by internal analysis, while flagging significant data integrity concerns. Ship-tracking information for vessels navigating Hormuz has become "especially unreliable" since the end of February 2026, the agency noted, adding that its 2026 Hormuz volume figures are being revised on a rolling basis as more reliable data becomes available.
As traffic through Hormuz cratered, alternative maritime routes absorbed a portion of the displaced energy trade. Oil volumes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait edged up to 5.4 million barrels per day in the first quarter from 5.2 million in the previous quarter, while flows through the Panama Canal rose modestly to 2.9 million barrels per day from 2.8 million over the same timeframe.
The Strait of Hormuz, nestled between Iran and Oman, serves as the world's most consequential energy chokepoint, channeling the bulk of Gulf producers' oil and gas exports to international markets.
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