The Strait of Hormuz
The only sea route in or out of the Persian Gulf, about 21 nautical miles across at its narrowest — and the most consequential stretch of water in the energy trade.
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If you are new to the waterway, the explainer covers where it is, how wide it is and who borders it. If you want the current picture, the status page tracks how much traffic is actually moving and points at the live sources.
- PlayStraight Outta HormuzSteer a container ship across a stylised Strait of Hormuz. Four routes, drifting hazards, salvage runs and a global leaderboard. Free, no download.
- ExplainedThe Strait of Hormuz, explainedBetween Iran and Oman at 26.6°N 56.4°E, joining the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. See it on a map, with the width, the borders and the two seas it connects.
- MapReading a map of the Strait of HormuzTwo lanes, a separation zone and 21 miles of water. See how the strait is laid out, where the narrows are, and why usable width is far less than it looks.
- IslandsThe islands of the Strait of HormuzThe islands in and around the Strait of Hormuz — Qeshm, Hormuz, Larak, Hengam and the smaller chain — and which of them are subject to territorial dispute.
- ShippingShipping through the Strait of HormuzHow commercial traffic moves through the Strait of Hormuz: vessel types, the traffic separation scheme, pilotage, and what makes the passage demanding.
- StrategyHow to cross the straitA route-by-route strategy guide: which lane to pick, when to slow down, how to work the salvage runs, and how the scoring actually rewards you.
- PlayHormuz ship simulatorA light ship-handling game in the browser: throttle, helm, momentum and shallow water, with a cargo run across a stylised Strait of Hormuz.
- FactsStrait of Hormuz: the numbers21 nautical miles wide, about 90 long, lanes only 2 miles across. Every dimension in one table, in miles and kilometres, with what each one means for shipping.
- Vs Bab el-MandebHormuz and Bab el-MandebHow the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb differ in geography, what each one carries, and why disruption at one does not substitute for the other.
- Why it mattersWhy the Strait of Hormuz mattersWhy a 21-mile channel between Iran and Oman shapes global energy trade: no alternative route, limited pipeline bypass, and a chokepoint with nothing behind it.
- Who controls itWho controls the Strait of Hormuz?Whose waters the Strait of Hormuz runs through, what international law says about passage, and why "control" is a more complicated word than it looks.
- Can it closeCan the Strait of Hormuz be closed?What a Strait of Hormuz blockage would mean in practice, why full closure differs from disruption, and what happens to shipping and cargo when transit becomes difficult.
- Fuel pricesFrom the strait to the pumpWhy a disruption 7,000 miles away moves the price at your pump: how crude feeds into retail fuel, what share of the cost it is, and where to check live prices.
- AlternativesWays around the straitWhat ways around the Strait of Hormuz actually exist: bypass pipelines, ports outside the strait, and why there is no sea route that avoids it.
- PipelinesThe bypass pipelinesThe East-West Pipeline and the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline: where they run, what they were built for, and how much of the strait’s traffic they can actually replace.
- LNGLNG has no pipeline outWhy liquefied natural gas is more exposed to a Strait of Hormuz disruption than crude oil, and what that means for Qatar and for gas buyers in Asia and Europe.
- InflationFrom chokepoint to consumer pricesThe route from a shipping chokepoint to consumer prices: energy as an input cost, freight and insurance, second-round effects, and why the lag matters.
- Gulf economiesThe economies inside the chokepointHow Gulf states are exposed to their own chokepoint: export revenue, storage limits, forced production cuts, and why the effects differ sharply by country.
- DepthHow deep is the Strait of Hormuz?How deep the Strait of Hormuz runs, why the shipping lanes were placed where they are, and how much water a loaded supertanker actually needs under it.
- CountriesWhich countries border the Strait of Hormuz?Iran to the north, Oman to the south — and why the answer surprises people, since the shipping lanes run through Omani waters, not Iranian ones.
- Live trafficTracking traffic through the straitWhere to watch ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in real time, which trackers to trust, and why published transit counts disagree with each other.
- Hormuz IslandHormuz IslandThe island the Strait of Hormuz is named after: its red soil, its Portuguese fort, the vanished trading port, and where it sits in the channel today.
- Both at onceWhen both gates closeWhy pressure on both chokepoints at once is worse than the sum: the Hormuz bypass exits through the Red Sea, and the Red Sea workaround is a 20-day detour.
- StatusThe Strait of Hormuz right nowWhether the Strait of Hormuz is open, how many ships are transiting against the normal baseline, how traffic is being routed, and where to check live figures.