Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Jim Krane
Iran’s halt of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in 2026 has provided a palpable demonstration of the risks such maritime chokepoints pose to international shipping and the global economy. At the time of writing, the Hormuz closure was diverting or blocking some 20% of the global trade in crude oil and liquefied natural gas, as well as halting exports of petrochemicals, fertilizers, helium, aluminum and other materials critical for agriculture, manufacturing and the world economy in general.
Hormuz is just one of an array of global chokepoints where maritime traffic is easily interdicted. This paper analyzes the various strategic chokepoints across the globe that are most relevant to the transit of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), with emphasis on those that most directly and critically affect major energy exporters in the Middle East. Chokepoints such as the Bab al-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz are scrutinized because of the nature of fuel-based energy systems, as well as commodity trading critical for food supply and manufacturing, all of which require continuous uninterrupted supply chains from producer to consumer.
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