Digital shipping map Here you can see live what's going on in the Strait of Hormuz
Every day, dozens of tankers pass through the 55-kilometre narrow strait between Iran and Oman - and each of them can be tracked in real time. If you want to understand how geopolitical tensions move the global energy market, you can literally watch it live right now.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important energy routes in the world - around 20 percent of globally traded crude oil passes through the strait between Iran and Oman every day.
- With the free MarineTraffic app, shipping traffic can be tracked there almost in real time.
- Transparency has its limits: ships can deactivate their AIS signal and then disappear from the map.
Due to the current war situation, the Strait of Hormuz is no longer an abstract concept. It is a real, measurable bottleneck and currently one of the most monitored waterways in the world. An estimated 20 percent of the oil traded worldwide passes through this narrow strait between Iran and Oman every day. Anyone who wants to not only read about the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, but also see them, will find an unusually concrete tool in a free app.
Satellite data for everyone
MarineTraffic visualizes on an interactive map almost in real time where freighters, tankers and military vessels are located worldwide. This includes those that are currently passing through or approaching the Strait of Hormuz. The technological basis for this is the AIS system, which requires ships to continuously transmit position data. Receiving stations around the globe collect these signals and feed them into the app.
If you tap on a ship, the application provides all kinds of details: speed, ship type, port of destination, last route taken. For non-experts, this is an unusual level of directness that can be read directly on the screen. For example, you can also find out whether tanker traffic has come to a standstill, shifted or is continuing as usual.
Transparency with limits
However, the data situation has a structural weakness: the AIS system can be deactivated. Ships that do not want to be tracked - for example in sensitive military operations or in the context of sanctions evasion - simply disappear from the map. This phenomenon has been documented in the Persian Gulf in particular. Experts speak of so-called "dark ships" that deliberately do not send a signal. What MarineTraffic shows is therefore the visible image and not necessarily the complete picture.
Nevertheless, the app remains an unusually direct source of information for those interested in technology and news. In times of crisis such as these, when every report about the Middle East immediately moves oil prices, looking at the map offers a quality of its own.
