type: timeline_event
By March 18, 2026 — three weeks into Operation Epic Fury — commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had been reduced to a trickle. Only 21 tankers had successfully transited the strait since the war began on February 28, compared to a pre-war average of more than 100 transits per day. Over 150 commercial vessels were anchored in international waters outside the strait's approaches, unable or unwilling to risk the passage. Thousands of seafarers were stranded aboard vessels with no timeline for resumption of normal operations.
The near-total closure of the world's most important oil chokepoint — through which approximately 20 percent of global petroleum and a significant share of LNG shipments normally flow — represented the worst disruption to international maritime commerce since World War II. The few transits that had occurred were largely vessels carrying cargo to India and China that had received specific permission from Iranian naval forces, reflecting Tehran's strategy of selectively allowing passage to maintain relationships with its most important economic partners while punishing states aligned with the U.S.-led coalition.
Insurance premiums for vessels attempting Hormuz transit had risen to levels that made most commercial shipping economically unviable even if security conditions permitted passage. Lloyd's of London and other major maritime insurers had designated the entire Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman as war-risk zones, with premiums exceeding 10 percent of hull value — a rate that effectively priced most commercial operators out of the market.
The humanitarian implications extended beyond energy markets. Gulf states dependent on imported food and consumer goods faced growing supply chain disruptions, and the stranded seafarers — many from developing nations in South and Southeast Asia — faced deteriorating conditions aboard vessels running low on provisions and fresh water.