Global oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz have all but frozen, choking off nearly 86% of normal east–west crude traffic and pushing energy markets to the brink.

Data from maritime analytics firms Windward and Kpler show the waterway is not formally closed but it may as well be. On March 1, only three tankers carrying 2.8 million barrels crossed Hormuz, an 86% plunge from the 2026 daily average of 19.8 million barrels.

By early March 2, just one small tanker and one small cargo ship moved through the main lanes.Roughly 706 non‑Iranian tankers are now stacked on both sides of the strait: 334 crude carriers, 109 dirty product tankers and 263 clean product vessels.

Another 26 tankers drift inside the Gulf without clear destinations. Hundreds more idle in the Gulf of Oman. Live Updates here.Oil markets reacted immediately.

Brent crude surged nearly 10% to around $80 a barrel, while European gas jumped more than 40% after attacks hit Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery and a Qatari LNG plant, triggering shutdowns.

Source:Ndtv