Transits through the Strait of Hormuz not linked to Iranian-flagged vessels reached a three-week high this week, while charter rates for Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) surged, according to shipping data tracked by USNI News.
The increase in non-Iranian transits, reported as of Sept. 18, 2026, marks the highest level in three weeks. Concurrently, VLCC rates—the cost to charter the giant crude carriers that move most of the Gulf’s oil—exploded, though specific dollar figures were not provided in the source.
The data, compiled from maritime tracking services, reflects a notable shift in the pattern of shipping activity through the strait, a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil consumption. The rise in transits and rates comes amid ongoing regional tensions that have previously disrupted shipping.
The surge in VLCC rates and transit numbers suggests a tightening of available tonnage or increased demand for crude transport, though the source did not specify underlying causes. The trend could influence global oil shipping costs in the coming weeks.
In the same period, the U.S. Navy’s Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, after more than eight months in the Middle East, transited the Surigao Strait and entered the Philippine Sea on Sept. 15, 2026, according to a social media post. The strike group includes the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121), and cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62).
Separately, the Indonesian Navy received the former Italian aircraft carrier ex-ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (551), which arrived at Tanjung Priok port, Jakarta, on Sept. 18, 2026, to enter service as KRI Sriwijaya. The ship was met by frigates KRI Brawijaya (320) and KRI Prabu Siliwangi (321).
The Hormuz transit and rate data, while not detailed in dollar terms, points to a dynamic shift in the region’s shipping economics, according to the source’s framing.