The world's maritime chokepoints — what transits Bab al-Mandab, Hormuz, Suez and the rest
Answer 'how important is Bab al-Mandab, and how does it compare to the other chokepoints?' with verifiable EIA/IMF figures instead of guesswork.
Compare the World's Shipping Chokepoints
The world's maritime chokepoints — what transits Bab al-Mandab, Hormuz, Suez and the rest
Search the world's critical maritime chokepoints — Bab al-Mandab, the Strait of Hormuz, Suez, Malacca and more — by name or region, with how much oil transits, share of global trade, the alternative route, and a plain-English note.
| Bab al-Mandab | Red Sea / Gulf of Aden (Yemen–Djibouti) | ~4M b/d (2024, EIA) | Southern gate to the Red Sea–Suez route, which carries ~12–15% of global trade and ~30% of container traffic | Cape of Good Hope (+10–14 days per Asia–Europe voyage) | About 18 mi wide with two 2-mi channels. Houthis declared a Saudi blockade on July 20, 2026; no ship attack confirmed as of July 22. |
| Strait of Hormuz | Persian Gulf (Iran–Oman/UAE) | ~20M b/d (2024, EIA) | About one-fifth of global oil and LNG; the single most important oil chokepoint | Limited — Saudi East-West pipeline to Yanbu (~7M b/d capacity), UAE's Fujairah line | Shipping collapsed after the Feb 28, 2026 US-Israel-Iran war; crude and LNG flows down sharply (UK Commons Library). |
| Strait of Malacca | Southeast Asia (Malaysia–Indonesia–Singapore) | ~23M b/d (2024, EIA) | Busiest oil chokepoint; the main Asia–Middle East/Europe artery | Sunda or Lombok straits (longer) | Narrows to under 2 mi at the Phillips Channel; congestion and piracy are the standing risks. |
| Suez Canal (with SUMED pipeline) | Egypt (Mediterranean–Red Sea) | ~4.8M b/d (2024, EIA) | ~12% of global trade and ~30% of world container traffic; over 20,000 ships/yr | Cape of Good Hope (same detour as Bab al-Mandab) | Man-made canal with no natural bypass. Traffic fell ~50% after 2024 Houthi attacks (IMF PortWatch). |
| Turkish Straits (Bosporus & Dardanelles) | Türkiye (Black Sea–Mediterranean) | ~3.6M b/d (2024, EIA) | The only maritime outlet from the Black Sea; key for Russian and Caspian crude | None — no sea alternative exists | Transit is governed by the 1936 Montreux Convention. |
| Danish Straits | Denmark (Baltic Sea–North Sea) | ~4.9M b/d (2024, EIA) | Main route for Russian Baltic crude exports | Kiel Canal (smaller vessels only) | Comprises the Great Belt, Øresund and Little Belt. |
| Panama Canal | Panama (Atlantic–Pacific) | Modest — not a headline oil chokepoint | Links the Atlantic and Pacific; roughly 5% of global seaborne trade | Strait of Magellan / Cape Horn (much longer) | Draft and booking limits tighten during droughts. |
How this is calculated
Oil-transit figures are approximate 2024 volumes reported by the U.S. Energy Information Administration's World Oil Transit Chokepoints analysis, shown rounded because volumes shift year to year. Trade-share and container figures come from EIA and IMF/Oxford PortWatch. Widths and channel counts come from EIA. Current-event notes (the July 2026 Bab al-Mandab blockade declaration, Hormuz disruption) are dated and attributed; they describe status, not a prediction.
Data as of July 21, 2026 · verified July 21, 2026 · v1
Assumptions, limitations & sources
Assumptions
- · Oil volumes reflect 2024 EIA estimates and are rounded for readability; actual daily flows vary.
Limitations
- · Not a live feed. Figures are point-in-time estimates; check EIA and IMF PortWatch for the latest.
- · Oil volumes exclude LNG and dry-bulk/container tonnage except where noted in the trade-role column.
- · Panama's oil throughput is modest and not a headline oil chokepoint, so it is described rather than given an oil figure.
- · The 2026 conflict situation is developing; dated notes may age quickly.
Sources
- World Oil Transit Chokepoints — U.S. Energy Information Administration, checked July 21, 2026
- The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a strategic route for oil and natural gas shipments — U.S. Energy Information Administration, checked July 21, 2026
- PortWatch — Data & Methodology (chokepoint transit trade volumes) — IMF / University of Oxford, checked July 21, 2026
- Houthis deploy missiles and drones to attack ships in southern Red Sea, naval group says — CNBC, checked July 21, 2026
- Israel/US-Iran conflict 2026: Reopening the Strait of Hormuz — UK House of Commons Library, checked July 21, 2026
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The story behind this tool
World
Houthis declare a Red Sea blockade of Saudi Arabia at the Bab al-Mandab chokepoint — what's confirmed, what isn't
Yemen's Houthis say ships serving Saudi ports can no longer safely pass the Bab al-Mandab strait. Saudi tankers are turning back and a naval group warns of missiles and drones nearby — but as of July 22 no attacks are confirmed and the strait is not closed. What transits, and what's still unknown.