Strait of Hormuz Ship Transits in 2019 — Monthly Totals and Records
Overview
Daily commercial ship transits of the Strait of Hormuz during 2019, month by month: total traffic, its quietest and busiest stretches, and the incidents that moved it.
2019
25,220
Peak day
1036 Jul
Daily average
69.1
2019 Month by Month
Transits per month
Monthly breakdown
| Month | Total | Daily avg | Peak day |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,725 | 55.6 | 72 · 7 Jan |
| February | 1,661 | 59.3 | 76 · 22 Feb |
| March | 1,912 | 61.7 | 87 · 29 Mar |
| April | 2,056 | 68.5 | 94 · 29 Apr |
| May | 2,339 | 75.5 | 90 · 3 May |
| June | 2,442 | 81.4 | 102 · 24 Jun |
| July | 2,547 | 82.2 | 103 · 6 Jul |
| August | 2,452 | 79.1 | 93 · 4 Aug |
| September | 2,344 | 78.1 | 97 · 14 Sep |
| October | 2,278 | 73.5 | 98 · 15 Oct |
| November | 1,693 | 56.4 | 77 · 8 Nov |
| December | 1,771 | 57.1 | 78 · 24 Dec |
25,220 transits recorded over 365 reported days
Busiest Days of 2019
Top 10 days
| Date | Transits | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 6 July | 103 | — |
| 24 June | 102 | — |
| 3 July | 102 | — |
| 5 July | 102 | — |
| 30 June | 99 | — |
| 4 July | 99 | — |
| 15 October | 98 | — |
| 10 June | 97 | — |
| 16 June | 97 | — |
| 14 September | 97 | — |
For this series incidents suppress activity rather than drive it — the busiest days mark calm periods, so no incident context is implied.
Incidents Logged in 2019
4 incidents
| Date | Type | Incident |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May | Strike | Limpet mines damage four tankers off Fujairah, UAE, in suspected Iranian sabotage attack |
| 13 Jun | Strike | Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous tankers set ablaze in Gulf of Oman attacks blamed on Iran |
| 20 Jun | Interception | Iran shoots down US Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over Strait of Hormuz |
| 19 Jul | Interception | Iran seizes British tanker Stena Impero in Strait of Hormuz, retaliating for Gibraltar's Grace 1 seizure |
Each incident page shows the activity measured around it. Full log on the live tracker.
Reading the Numbers
2019 recorded 25,220 transits, an average of 69.1 per day.
Among the 7 complete years on record, 2019 ranks as the quietest.
The busiest month was July with 2,547 transits.
The quietest month was February with 1,661 transits.
The peak day of the year — 103 transits on July 6 — compares with the year's daily average of 69.1. Activity was reported on 365 of the 365 days covered (100%).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many commercial ship transits of the Strait of Hormuz were recorded in 2019?
25,220 transits were recorded over the course of 2019, an average of 69.1 per day.
What was the busiest day of 2019?
The peak was 103 transits on July 6, 2019.
Transit figures are AIS-derived estimates published by IMF PortWatch, typically weekly with a lag of about ten days — the newest days may not yet appear, and published days are occasionally revised. Counts cover commercial vessels only; ships sailing with transponders off are invisible to the series. Incidents from public news reports. Sources: Kpler; UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org).
Sources: IMF PortWatch · Kpler · UN Global Platform · UK Maritime Trade Operations
Sources: IMF PortWatch · Kpler · UN Global Platform · UK Maritime Trade Operations