Does the Strait of Hormuz remain open despite attempts to close it?
Core argument: Verified tanker tracking places Strait of Hormuz oil flows at a minimum of 5M barrels per day, with adjustments for untracked vessels pushing the plausible figure to 7–9M barrels per day.
By counting identified tankers using available data, we can safely say that, at the very least, 5 million barrels a day are transiting Hormuz. Then I like to add an adjustment factor for known unknowns — because I’m quite certain that more is happening. Say one supertanker a day is crossing in utmost secrecy; that pushes the count to 7 million barrels a day. If we’re missing two tankers rather than one, that raises it to 9 million barrels. It quickly adds up. There's a tell of what’s going on: Oil spills in the Strait of Hormuz, quite visible on the available satellite imagery, are growing by the day. It’s a sign that Iran is attacking tankers to keep the waterway closed, but also an indication that many are battling equally to keep it open — perhaps more successfully than we think.


