# Oil Tanker Tracker: Chokepoints and Sanctions

Updated 16:17 UTC, 29 Oct 2026. Canonical: https://monitorworld.app/live/oil-tanker-tracker

MonitorWorld does not plot live tanker positions: we have no ship-tracking (AIS) data that we may republish. Instead this page tracks what can be checked: the risk status of the world's oil chokepoints (2 of 13 rated red as of 16:17 UTC: Strait of Hormuz, Kerch Strait), how much oil each one carries (EIA), and whether a tanker is on the US or UK sanctions list.

## Is this tanker sanctioned? Check a ship

The interactive version of this page searches the US OFAC SDN list and the UK Sanctions List by ship name or IMO number, in your browser. The official search pages: https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/ and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list

## Key numbers

- Sanctioned tankers, US + UK: **1,229** (301 on both lists)
- Chokepoints rated red: **2/13** (Hormuz, Kerch Strait)
- Barrels a day via Malacca: **23.2M** (EIA, 1H 2025)
- Barrels a day via Hormuz: **4.9M** (EIA, Q2 2026)

## Oil chokepoints: status and oil flow

- [GREEN] [Strait of Malacca: GREEN, risk score 0/100](https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-malacca) (23.2 M b/d of oil (EIA, 1H 2025), China-Middle East Oil, China-Europe (via Suez), model 16:17 UTC)
- [RED] [Strait of Hormuz: RED, risk score 70/100](https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-hormuz) (20.9 M b/d of oil (EIA, 1H 2025); 4.9 M b/d in Q2 2026, Gulf Oil Exports, Qatar LNG, model 16:17 UTC)
- [GREEN] Cape of Good Hope: GREEN, risk score 15/100 (9.1 M b/d of oil (EIA, 1H 2025), Asia-Europe (Cape Route), Gulf-Americas Oil, model 16:17 UTC)
- [YELLOW] [Suez Canal: YELLOW, risk score 30/100](https://monitorworld.app/live/suez-canal) (4.9 M b/d of oil (EIA, 1H 2025), China-Europe (Suez), Gulf-Europe Oil, model 16:17 UTC)
- [YELLOW] [Bab el-Mandeb: YELLOW, risk score 40/100](https://monitorworld.app/live/bab-el-mandeb) (4.2 M b/d of oil (EIA, 1H 2025), Suez-Indian Ocean, Gulf-Europe Oil, model 16:17 UTC)
- [YELLOW] Bosporus Strait: YELLOW, risk score 25/100 (3.7 M b/d of oil (EIA, 1H 2025), Russia Black Sea Exports, Ukraine Grain, model 16:17 UTC)
- [GREEN] [Panama Canal: GREEN, risk score 0/100](https://monitorworld.app/live/panama-canal) (2.3 M b/d of oil (EIA, 1H 2025), US East Coast-Asia, US East Coast-South America, model 16:17 UTC)
- [RED] Kerch Strait: RED, risk score 70/100 (no EIA oil figure, Ukraine Grain (Azov), Russia Azov Ports, model 16:17 UTC)
- [YELLOW] [Taiwan Strait: YELLOW, risk score 20/100](https://monitorworld.app/live/taiwan-strait) (no EIA oil figure, China-Japan Trade, Korea-Southeast Asia, model 16:17 UTC)
- [GREEN] Strait of Gibraltar: GREEN, risk score 15/100 (no EIA oil figure, Atlantic-Mediterranean, Gulf-Europe Oil (final leg), model 16:17 UTC)
- [GREEN] Dover Strait: GREEN, risk score 15/100 (no EIA oil figure, North Sea-Atlantic, Europe Intra-Trade, model 16:17 UTC)
- [GREEN] Korea Strait: GREEN, risk score 0/100 (no EIA oil figure, Japan-Korea Trade, China-Japan (alternate), model 16:17 UTC)
- [GREEN] Lombok Strait: GREEN, risk score 0/100 (no EIA oil figure, Malacca Bypass (VLCCs), Australia-Asia, model 16:17 UTC)

## Tanker news: latest reports

- [CRIT] [Ship burns as Iran claims 3 tankers hit mines in Strait of Hormuz](https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-donald-trump-qatar-mediators-new-proposal-end-war/) (CBS News, 15:10 UTC, 1h ago)

## Key context

### How to track an oil tanker

- Find the IMO number: a 7-digit number that stays with the hull for its whole life, while the name, owner and flag can change. Our check above and the official sanctions lists all use it.
- Look up the AIS position: tankers broadcast their position, speed and destination by AIS. Public AIS sites show the last position received by coastal stations or satellites; open-ocean coverage on free plans is limited.
- Check the sanctions status: the US OFAC SDN list and the UK Sanctions List give each listed ship's IMO number; the EU lists its vessels in its Russia sanctions regulation.
- Watch for warning signs that official sources name: AIS gaps, ship-to-ship transfers at sea, frequent changes of name or flag, and flags of states that do not register the ship.

### Where the oil goes in 2026

Before the Iran war, about 80 million barrels of oil a day moved by sea, and two straits carried more than half of it: Malacca (23.2 million) and Hormuz (20.9 million) in the first half of 2025 (EIA). The war that began on 28 February 2026 cut Hormuz flows to an estimated 4.9 million barrels a day in the second quarter of 2026 (EIA). Iran's own exports fell from about 2 million barrels a day in March to 220,000 to 255,000 in August, as a US blockade stopped cargoes to China (Kpler and Vortexa data reported by Reuters via [Al-Monitor](https://al-monitor.com/originals/2026/09/blockade-succeeds-where-sanctions-failed-iran-oil-exports-stall), September 2026).

In the Red Sea, Houthi attacks have kept many tankers on the longer route around Africa since 2023: the Cape of Good Hope carried 9.1 million barrels a day in the first half of 2025, against 6.2 million in 2023 (EIA).

Oil through the main chokepoints, million barrels per day (EIA, updated 3 March 2026).

| Route | 2023 | 2024 | 1H 2025 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Strait of Malacca | 24.0 | 22.5 | 23.2 |
| Strait of Hormuz | 21.8 | 20.7 | 20.9 |
| Cape of Good Hope | 6.2 | 9.3 | 9.1 |
| Suez Canal and SUMED pipeline | 8.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 |
| Danish Straits | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Bab el-Mandeb | 9.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Turkish Straits | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
| Panama Canal | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 |

### Why this page shows no tanker positions

Live ship positions come from AIS receivers. The networks that collect them sell or license the data, and the free feeds we tested publish no terms that allow a public, commercial website to republish positions. The ship-transit counts of IMF PortWatch need the IMF's written permission for commercial use. Rather than show estimated or fake ships, we link to public AIS sites and show only data with a clear licence: sanctions lists, EIA figures and our own chokepoint model.

For a list of the tankers linked to sanctioned oil, and every boarding and seizure since 2025, see the [shadow fleet tracker](https://monitorworld.app/live/shadow-fleet-tracker).

## FAQ

### How can I track an oil tanker for free?

Find the ship's 7-digit IMO number first, because names and flags change. Then search it on a public AIS site such as VesselFinder or MarineTraffic, which show the last position a ship broadcast. Coverage far from coasts is patchy on free plans, and a ship that switches off its AIS transponder disappears until it turns it back on.

### Is there a live map of all oil tankers?

Commercial ship-tracking services (for example MarineTraffic, Kpler, Vortexa and TankerTrackers.com) map tankers from AIS signals and satellite images; their full data is paid. MonitorWorld does not show ship positions, because we have no AIS data we may republish. This page shows chokepoint risk, oil volumes and sanctions instead.

### How do I check if a tanker is sanctioned?

Use the check at the top of this page: it searches 1,932 ships on the US OFAC SDN list and the UK Sanctions List by name or IMO number, in your browser. The EU publishes its vessel list in the annexes of its Russia sanctions regulation, and the US and UK have official search pages. Search by IMO number, because sanctioned ships often change names.

### How much oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz now?

Far less than before the 2026 Iran war. The EIA estimates that oil flows through the strait fell from about 21 million barrels per day in 2025 to 4.9 million in the second quarter of 2026. See the [Strait of Hormuz map](https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-hormuz) for today's status.

### Which sea route carries the most oil?

The Strait of Malacca: 23.2 million barrels per day in the first half of 2025, 29% of all oil moved by sea, ahead of the Strait of Hormuz with 20.9 million (EIA). See the [Strait of Malacca map](https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-malacca).

### Why do tankers switch off AIS?

Ships may switch off AIS for safety in piracy areas, but tankers in the sanctioned-oil trade also do it to hide port calls and ship-to-ship transfers. The UK government says shadow-fleet ships use deceptive shipping practices and false flags, and earlier described ships purposefully disabling locator technology.

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## Sources

- [MonitorWorld chokepoint model](https://monitorworld.app/sources): status (green / yellow / red) and a 0-100 disruption score from a threat baseline, navigational warnings and AIS disruption signals. A risk rating, not an official notice.
- [U.S. Energy Information Administration, World Oil Transit Chokepoints](https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/special-topics/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints): oil flow per chokepoint from 2020 to the first half of 2025 (last updated 3 March 2026). Public domain.
- [US Treasury OFAC, Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list](https://sanctionslist.ofac.treas.gov/Home/SdnList): vessel entries with IMO number, flag at the time of listing, type and sanctions programme. US government work, public domain.
- [UK Sanctions List (FCDO)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-uk-sanctions-list): ships specified under UK sanctions, with the date, current believed flag and type. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- [The GDELT Project (DOC 2.0 API)](https://www.gdeltproject.org/): media reports, matched by keyword. Headlines link to the publisher; MonitorWorld does not verify them.
- [MonitorWorld news digest](https://monitorworld.app/sources): headlines from public news feeds (Reuters, AP, BBC, Al Jazeera and others), severity rated by our model. Each headline links to the publisher.

## Related

- [Shadow fleet tracker](https://monitorworld.app/live/shadow-fleet-tracker): Sanctioned tankers from US and UK lists, seizures and attacks.
- [Strait of Hormuz map](https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-hormuz): Chokepoint status, media reports and key facts.
- [Strait of Malacca map](https://monitorworld.app/live/strait-of-malacca): The busiest oil sea lane: status, traffic, piracy and news.
- [Bab el-Mandeb Strait](https://monitorworld.app/live/bab-el-mandeb): Red Sea gate: Houthi attacks and shipping status.
- [Suez Canal live](https://monitorworld.app/live/suez-canal): Canal status, the Red Sea diversion and shipping news.
- [Panama Canal live](https://monitorworld.app/live/panama-canal): Transit limits, water levels and shipping news.