22 September 2026.

Situation

The Strait of Hormuz remains a live operational hazard. gCaptain and TradeWinds News report two seafarers were injured when tankers were struck by projectiles in the strait, with no party identified as responsible. Separately, UKMTO, per gCaptain, reports an LPG tanker sustained hits from debris from unknown projectiles in the same waterway. The closure picture is contested: gCaptain and TradeWinds News carry Iran's declaration that the strait is closed, while UA.NEWS reports 12 vessels crossed over the weekend. IMF PortWatch recorded 8 transits on 2026-09-13; the pre-crisis baseline is 85 per day. Hellenic Shipping News reports weekend ship traffic through the strait has dropped, and The Business Standard reports a sharp shipping drop despite continued oil flows. Brent stood at $101.14, down 0.56% over 24 hours, as of 02:55 UTC. On the Yemen front, freemalaysiatoday.com reports Houthis claim a Saudi strike killed 6 people in the port city of Mokha; that claim has not been independently confirmed. Riviera Maritime Media, gCaptain, and TradeWinds News report the tanker incidents have produced crew casualties, with two injuries recorded across the attacks. Reuters reports vessels are trickling through the strait as the Middle East conflict persists. The site recorded 121 indexed events in the last 24 hours. An Advanced Orbiter reconnaissance drone was reported destroyed over the strait, per Pars Today, though that claim is unverified and single-source. As of 02:49 UTC, 443 AIS-visible vessels were holding position away from berth in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf watch box, a count that leaves out ships within 25km of a working port. On the Hormuz Index, Crisis Pressure, the state composite, sits in the extreme band, rising over 24 hours, with physical transit deviation as its top contributor; the Escalation Forecast sits in the elevated band, flat over 24 hours, with the Brent-WTI forward spread as its top contributor.