Chokepoint Reduced
Is the Suez Canal open?
Yes, but with reduced traffic. As of September 3, 2026, flows through the Suez Canal are below normal. IMF PortWatch satellite tracking recorded an average of 17.0 tankers a day in the week to September 20, 2026, 9% above the Sep 2025–Feb 2026 average of 15.6.
Updated September 3, 2026 · View on the live map →
Suez transits were about 36% below normal in late August but 30% higher year on year and recovering, with some VLCCs rerouting via Suez/SUMED.
| Tankers per day, last 7 days | 17.0 |
|---|---|
| Sep 2025–Feb 2026 average | 15.6 |
| Change | +9% |
| All vessels per day, last 7 days | 42 |
7-day average of daily tanker transits from IMF PortWatch (satellite AIS data, about a week's lag), through September 20, 2026.
| Oil flow before the crisis | 4.9 million barrels a day |
|---|---|
| Share of global LNG trade | ~8% |
| Sea route around it | Cape of Good Hope, +12 days |
| Bypass: SUMED Pipeline | ~1 mb/d spare |
Baseline is Suez Canal + SUMED combined flow, 1H 2023. Baseline: EIA 1H 2025 flows.
Ships could divert, adding about 12 days per voyage for ~4.9 mb/d of oil. That ties up tankers and raises freight and insurance costs, but supply is delayed rather than lost.
Facilities cut off: Sidi Kerir Terminal.
Illustrative model using pre-crisis baselines; see how the what-if model works. Try combinations in the live map's What-if tab.
The Houthis declared all vessels loading or discharging at Saudi ports prohibited from 20 July. Bab el-Mandeb transits fell 24% to 269 in the week of 20 July (354 the week before) and mainstream tanker transits fell 42% to 53, before stabilising. Saudi tankers turned back and the group later claimed attacks on Yanbu installations.
Connects Mediterranean to Red Sea. ~193 km long. ~5-6 million bpd of oil and refined products. ~12% of global trade. 2021 Ever Given blockage demonstrated fragility. 2024 Houthi attacks diverted significant traffic.
Egypt's most important strategic asset and revenue source (~$9B/yr in fees). Nationalized by Nasser in 1956, triggering the Suez Crisis — the event that marked the end of British and French imperial power projection. The canal was closed 1967-1975 after the Six-Day War. The 2021 Ever Given blockage (6 days) cost global trade an estimated $54B and exposed the fragility of just-in-time supply chains. Since late 2023, Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping have diverted 50%+ of Suez traffic around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 10-14 days and ~$1M per voyage. Egypt's canal revenues dropped ~40-50%, creating fiscal stress for an already pressured Egyptian economy.
Yes, but with reduced traffic. As of September 3, 2026, flows through the Suez Canal are below normal. IMF PortWatch satellite tracking recorded an average of 17.0 tankers a day in the week to September 20, 2026, 9% above the Sep 2025–Feb 2026 average of 15.6.
About 4.9 million barrels a day of crude and oil products before the 2026 crisis, plus around 8% of global LNG trade. Baseline: EIA — World Oil Transit Chokepoints (1H 2025 flows).
Ships can sail around it (via the Cape of Good Hope), adding about 12 days per voyage, so flows are delayed rather than lost. Pipelines add about 1.0 mb/d of bypass capacity.
Europe: Main route for Gulf and Asian oil products and LNG into the Mediterranean and NW Europe. Egypt: Canal fees are one of the state's largest sources of foreign currency.
Other chokepoints: Strait of Hormuz · Turkish Straits (Bosphorus & Dardanelles) · Bab el-Mandeb · Strait of Malacca · Eastern Mediterranean Energy Zone · Panama Canal · Cape of Good Hope