Stay on top of port closures, security incidents, congestion events and freight rate movements impacting global shipping. Updated continuously from verified industry sources.
Ongoing attacks in the Persian Gulf are blocking oil and LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz, with no imminent resumption in sight; US-Iran negotiations show mixed progress while inventories continue to tighten. Even once the strait reopens, Kuwait Petroleum estimates it will take 6-8 weeks to restore output to 70% of normal levels, with full recovery taking an additional month, signaling prolonged disruption to energy shipping through this critical chokepoint.
The USS Nimitz (CVN-68), the U.S. Navy's oldest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is making a five-day port call at Kingston, Jamaica, as part of its final overseas tour before decommissioning. The visit may cause localized port activity and minor disruptions at Kingston, while the carrier's inability to transit the Panama Canal (requiring a route around South America) and potential extended Caribbean presence amid rising U.S.-Cuba tensions could affect regional maritime traffic patterns.
Iran has threatened to completely block the Strait of Hormuz and activate disruptions around the Bab El Mandeb Strait in response to Israeli military operations in Lebanon and Gaza, suspending indirect nuclear talks with the US. If enacted, these measures would severely disrupt global energy and shipping flows through two of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints.
The U.S. military has enforced a naval blockade of Iranian ports since April 13, 2026, intercepting and redirecting ships headed to Iran, including a Hellfire missile strike on a tanker en route to Kharg Island on June 2, 2026. This blockade has already redirected at least 122 vessels and poses severe disruption to maritime traffic in the Arabian Gulf, particularly to and from Iran's major oil export terminal at Kharg Island.
China may have installed a new structure at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a key flashpoint, with a floating barrier previously restricting lagoon access in April 2026; ongoing tensions and joint US-Philippine patrols signal heightened maritime security risks in the area. This could lead to restricted access, rerouting, or slowdowns for fishing and commercial vessels transiting near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed following a US/Israel-Iran war that erupted in late February 2026, with Iran having deployed mines and launched missile/UAV attacks against commercial shipping; a multinational coalition led by France and the UK is preparing a mine-countermeasures security mission to reopen the waterway once conditions allow. Commercial vessel transits through the Strait are currently halted, with the US Navy additionally blockading Iranian ports in the Gulf.
Ukrainian UAV strikes on June 3rd, 2026 targeted the Russian corvette RFS Boiky at the Veleshchynsjy dockyard in Kronstadt (near Saint Petersburg), as well as oil terminals at Ust Luga and Primorsk, disrupting naval and energy export infrastructure. The ongoing UAV campaign against Baltic Fleet assets and oil terminals in the Saint Petersburg region poses a sustained threat to port operations, vessel movements, and oil export logistics in the eastern Baltic Sea.