Oil Flow & Energy Trade Tracker
Follow crude oil, refined products and LNG from Gulf export terminals through the Strait of Hormuz to world markets — the planet's densest energy artery.
The world's most concentrated energy flow
Around 20 million barrels per day of crude oil, condensate and refined products transit the Strait of Hormuz — close to one fifth of everything the world burns. Add roughly 20% of global LNG trade, almost all of it from Qatar, and no other stretch of water carries a comparable share of the planet's energy. This page tracks that flow as it happens, vessel by vessel.
Where the oil comes from
Hormuz-bound cargoes load at Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura and Juaymah terminals, Iraq's Basrah offshore terminals, Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi, the UAE's Das Island and Fujairah bunker hub, Qatar's Ras Laffan and Iran's Kharg Island. Because pipeline alternatives — Saudi's East-West line and the UAE's Habshan–Fujairah line — can bypass only a fraction of this volume, nearly every exported barrel must pass the strait.
Where the oil goes
The overwhelming majority of Hormuz crude heads east: China, India, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia take more than 80% of the flow. The rest rounds Arabia toward the Suez Canal and the SUMED pipeline for Europe, or crosses to the Americas. Watching eastbound versus westbound transit counts on the live map makes these global energy routes visible in real time.
Tracking energy trade with AIS data
Every laden tanker's AIS broadcast reveals its destination, draught and speed — enough to estimate cargo status and route. Analysts aggregate these signals into oil flow estimates that frequently front-run official export statistics by weeks. Sudden changes — tankers idling, destinations flipping, draughts staying shallow — are early warnings of supply disruption, OPEC+ quota shifts or sanctions pressure.
Why oil flow tracking matters now
With no practical maritime detour around the strait, even brief disruptions reprice crude globally within minutes. Live oil shipping data lets traders, policymakers and journalists separate rumour from reality: if the barrels are still moving, the market can see it. Pair this page with the tanker tracker for individual vessels and the news page for context behind the movements.