Chokepoints, sanctions and hazards: what changed this week, measured, beside ARCANE's reporting.
The narrows · IMF PortWatch, week Sep 28, 2026 to Oct 4, 2026
862ships a day through the ten passages on the register, against a normal of 1,013: −15%.
Each mark is five ships a day. The opening is traffic as a share of normal; the ticks mark where the banks would stand at normal.
PortWatch data to Oct 4, 2026. Normal is the same days averaged over 2019–2023. Counts come from ships' AIS transponders; a ship sailing dark is not counted. IMF PortWatch → The world, moving: every passage on the map, each ship a moving dot →
God's Eye View
53 published stories pinned at the places they name on a 3D globe, with the day's earthquakes, data centres and dams. The open-source God's Eye View by Bilawal Sidhu; it loads only when you open it.
Open the globe| Passage | State | Ships a day | Week before | Vs normal | 13 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama | Open | 27.1 | 27 | −13% | |
| Gibraltar | Open | 135.1 | 133 | +1% | |
| Bosphorus | Binding | 38.6 | 49.6 | −61% | |
| Suez | Watch | 43.1 | 40 | −31% | |
| Bab el-Mandeb | Binding | 29.6 | 27.1 | −54% | |
| Hormuz | Binding | 2.7 | 3.1 | −97% | |
| Malacca | Open | 226.3 | 217.9 | +24% | |
| Taiwan Strait | Open | 233 | 232.3 | −7% | |
| Cape of Good Hope | Open | 87.7 | 88.1 | +74% | |
| Danish straits | Watch | 38.9 | 35.1 | −21% |
PortWatch data to Oct 4, 2026, week Sep 28, 2026 to Oct 4, 2026. Binding at half of normal or less, Watch a fifth to a half below. Counts come from ships' AIS transponders; a ship sailing dark is not counted. IMF PortWatch → Where the Red Sea traffic went →
19,363 entries on OFAC's SDN list, 1,539 of them ships.
Latest reported position and sustained wind. EONET →
USGS counts an earthquake significant by magnitude, felt reports and estimated impact. USGS →
Against interestSea Legend starts weekly Arctic container line as Suez traffic rebounds and shippers returnAug 23, 2026 · Container shipping · Archive
Against interestEurope banned Russian LNG for 2027 and bought a record amount this yearAug 23, 2026 · Energy · Archive
Chain reactionUS blockade squeezes Iranian oil exports but Chinese imports keep global demand firmAug 21, 2026 · Energy · Archive
Ripple effectWashington and allies blockaded Iranian crude before new sanctions announcementAug 21, 2026 · Energy · Archive