Live Tanker Traffic — Global AIS Map
Global vessel traffic — tankers, LNG carriers and energy shipping. Embed powered by MarineTraffic
About this map
The map above shows live AIS (Automatic Identification System) positions of tankers, LNG carriers and energy-related shipping worldwide, embedded from MarineTraffic. AIS is the maritime equivalent of aviation transponders: vessels broadcast their identity, position, course and speed to nearby ships and shore stations. The MarineTraffic platform aggregates this data into a near-live picture of global commercial shipping. Positions are indicative rather than precisely real-time; refresh frequency varies by vessel class, region and AIS coverage density.
Energy shipping is concentrated in a handful of strategically critical chokepoints. Five chokepoints together carry the majority of seaborne crude oil, refined product and liquefied natural gas trade. Understanding the live AIS picture at these chokepoints is one of the highest-signal indicators of energy-supply disruption, because tanker behaviour responds to operational risk faster than any other observable variable: tankers slow, divert, anchor offshore, or accelerate into safe waters within hours of geopolitical events.
Strait of Hormuz
The narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula has historically carried approximately 20% of global oil and a substantial share of refined-product trade. Since February 28, 2026, traffic has fallen to approximately 5% of pre-war baseline volumes as the strait has been effectively closed to commercial transit. Vessels that previously crossed Hormuz now sit at anchor outside the strait, transit at high speed only when escorted, or reroute via the Saudi East-West Petroline bypass (~5 mb/d capacity) and the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP, partially damaged in the May 4 Fujairah strike). See the dedicated Strait of Hormuz status page for the day count, oil-price impact and full crisis timeline.
Bab el-Mandeb (Red Sea / Suez Canal)
The southern entrance to the Red Sea, between Yemen and Djibouti, has been under intermittent attack risk from Houthi maritime forces since late 2023. As Hormuz-bound traffic has rerouted, Bab el-Mandeb has absorbed displaced European-bound flows, with vessel densities in the Red Sea and at the Suez Canal northbound queue running above pre-2026 norms. The Suez Canal itself, while a fixed-width waterway, has not been a binding constraint in 2026; the binding constraint upstream remains willingness of operators to transit Bab el-Mandeb.
Strait of Malacca / Singapore Strait
The principal east-west chokepoint between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, carrying the majority of seaborne crude moving from the Middle East and Africa to East Asian refining centres. Malacca has densified materially since February 28, 2026 as the redirection of cargoes that previously transited Hormuz adds traffic load. Singapore's anchorage areas show elevated holding patterns. Indonesian and Malaysian patrol activity remains routine; no acute security risk at the chokepoint itself.
Panama Canal
The lock-based canal between the Atlantic and Pacific is constrained by water-level seasonality rather than geopolitical risk. The 2024-2025 water level recovery has held into 2026, with normal transit slot allocations restored. Panama is a relatively minor chokepoint for crude oil — most movements are LNG carriers serving Asian markets from US Gulf Coast terminals.
Turkish Straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles)
The narrow waterways connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, regulated under the Montreux Convention. Russian crude exports through the Black Sea (including Novorossiysk port flows) transit the Bosphorus southbound; the post-April 6 CPC attack reduced Novorossiysk capacity to approximately 65%. Turkish authorities have not invoked Montreux restrictions during the current cycle.
How to read the map
Vessel symbols on the map are colour-coded by ship class: tankers, gas carriers, cargo ships, passenger vessels and others. Click a vessel to see its name, IMO number, destination and ETA. For chokepoint-specific analysis with vessel counts and disruption indicators, see the chokepoints page. For the wider energy supply context that this maritime picture sits inside, see the main dashboard and the weekly risk analysis briefing.
The MarineTraffic embed is a third-party service; positions are indicative and may lag actual vessel movements by several minutes to several hours depending on AIS coverage. For operational maritime decisions, vessels and operators should rely on their own AIS receivers and authoritative naval coordination bodies (UKMTO, Combined Maritime Forces, IMO). Nothing on this page is a navigation aid.