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World Oil Chokepoints: Map and Quarterly Transit Data

EIA Global Energy Security Data released August 12, 2026 · Data through 2026-06-30

In 4Q25, the last quarter before EIA says AIS reliability collapsed, its Table 2 reported 21.6 million barrels per day through the Strait of Hormuz and 24.9 million through the Strait of Malacca. These are reported transit estimates, not metered barrels. EIA says the ship-signal data behind 2026 Hormuz volumes became especially unreliable after late February.

A maritime chokepoint is a narrow route through which oil tankers and other cargo vessels pass. This page covers the named chokepoints in EIA's Global Energy Security tables, plus the Suez Canal and SUMED pipeline combined corridor and the Cape of Good Hope alternate route. Those two categories remain separate from the named chokepoints.

Where the routes are

The map uses 4Q25 only. Circle area is proportional to EIA Table 2 reported oil volume; no 2026 value controls marker size.

Marker size = 4Q25 volume, the last quarter before AIS reliability collapsed; circle area is proportional to Table 2 oil volume. Locations are approximate geographic markers for orientation, not navigational coordinates. Land geometry: Natural Earth 1:110m, public domain.

How EIA measures these volumes, and why 2026 needs a warning

Measurement: EIA bases much of the analysis on Automatic Identification System signals and supplements selected routes with port and route analysis. Its complete relevant methodology paragraph is reproduced verbatim:

Much of the data underlying this analysis are based on information that ships broadcast through Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals. However, this data may be incomplete if the AIS signal has been manipulated or turned off for some part of the journey, whether for illicit reasons, such as to obscure the origin of the cargo in order to evade sanctions, or for security reasons when transiting hazardous areas. To account for volumes through the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb, and the Strait of Malacca that may be obfuscated in this way, EIA has supplemented volumes based on Vortexa data with additional analysis of origin and destination ports and other available route information for cargos not otherwise identified as passing through those chokepoints. Waypoint entry dates for these cargos are estimated by EIA. Since the end of February 2026, AIS signal data for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz have become especially unreliable. For 2026 Hormuz volumes, tanker tracking data are being revised frequently based on the best available information. EIA volumes are based on Vortexa data with additional EIA analysis.

Data: Table 2 reports Hormuz changing by -16.7 mb/d, from 21.6 in 4Q25 to 4.9 in 2Q26. The same table reports world total oil supply changing by -4.2 mb/d, from 103.9 to 99.7. EIA's 2025 Hormuz background identifies roughly 7 mb/d of combined bypass pipeline capacity.

Interpretation limit: The reported 2026 chokepoint figures cannot be treated as counts of physical barrels. This page does not calculate a measurement-error residual, assign an explanation to the difference, or compare a route with world supply as if world supply were seaborne trade.

Quarterly reported oil volume

AIS reliability degraded from late February 2026: 1Q26 partially affected, 2Q26 onward fully within the warning period. The charts break the line at 4Q25 to 1Q26, so no continuous segment implies comparability across the measurement break. Click any chart for a larger version.

EIA Table 2, million barrels per day. The amber band carries EIA's 2026 AIS warning.

EIA Table 2, million barrels per day. The amber band carries EIA's 2026 AIS warning. Hormuz is highlighted in amber; other route series use brand blue.

EIA Table 2, million barrels per day. The amber band carries EIA's 2026 AIS warning.

Full Table 2 series

The server-rendered table preserves EIA's world supply row as a separate denominator. The 2026 columns remain subject to the AIS warning quoted above.


Strait of Malacca	22.3	23.8	23.4	24.9	21.3	16.6
Strait of Hormuz	20.9	21.0	21.3	21.6	14.9	4.9
Suez Canal and SUMED pipeline (combined corridor)	4.6	5.1	5.6	5.9	5.7	5.8
Bab el-Mandeb	3.9	4.5	4.6	5.4	5.6	8.1
Danish Straits	5.0	4.8	4.9	5.0	4.9	4.7
Turkish Straits (Dardanelles)	3.8	3.7	3.7	3.7	3.3	4.1
Panama Canal	2.8	2.5	2.8	2.8	2.9	3.2
Cape of Good Hope (alternate route)	9.0	9.3	9.0	9.9	8.2	9.4
World total oil supply	105.0	107.7	108.2	103.9	96.1	99.7

Unit: million barrels per day. Source: EIA Global Energy Security Data, Table 2, released August 12, 2026. Values are EIA estimates based on Vortexa data and EIA analysis.

Crude, petroleum products and LNG by series

Oil components use million barrels per day. LNG uses billion cubic feet per day and always has its own chart and table column. A source dash is stored as NULL and shown as “not reported,” never zero. Every 2026 value below carries the AIS reliability warning in the measurement section.

Strait of Malacca

Published-source discrepancy: EIA Table 2 reports Malacca at 24.9 mb/d in 4Q25, while the detail table prints 24.0. Its crude and product components sum to 24.9. Both published values are preserved; Table 2 controls the map and overview.