Week ending 20 September 2026: Lombok Strait transits up 14% on the prior four weeks
Weekly edition for the week ending 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026): chokepoint transit counts, new archive entries, ongoing events, headlines. Generated from data and edited by a person.
Week ending 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026). Approved by editor-1 on 2026-11-05 (5 November 2026).
Edition
The week in numbers
Average daily transits of all vessel types in the seven days from 2026-09-14 (14 September 2026) to 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026), for the five chokepoints with the most transits, compared with the average over the 28 days from 2026-08-17 (17 August 2026) to 2026-09-13 (13 September 2026).
- Malacca Strait: 229.7 a day, against 209.4 a day before (+9.7%)
- Korea Strait: 226.1 a day, against 216.0 a day before (+4.7%)
- Taiwan Strait: 222.7 a day, against 229.4 a day before (-2.9%)
- Dover Strait: 162.6 a day, against 157.9 a day before (+3.0%)
- Bohai Strait: 160.0 a day, against 156.2 a day before (+2.4%)
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor.
The largest rise was at Lombok Strait, from 36.2 to 41.4 a day (+14.3%). The largest fall was at Panama Canal, from 28.9 to 26.1 a day (-9.5%).
Only chokepoints averaging at least 20 transits a day in the earlier period are compared. The figures describe counts; they do not explain them.
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor.
New in the archive
Added from 2026-09-14 (14 September 2026) to 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026).
- Earthquake suspends container terminals at Colombia’s Buenaventura port: terminal closure, 2026-08-10 (10 August 2026), ongoing, severity 2
- Durban Gateway Terminal backlog follows terminal operating system cutover: congestion episode, 2026-08-15 (15 August 2026), ongoing, severity 2
- Ver.di warning strikes halt container handling at German seaports: labour action, 2026-08-17 (17 August 2026), ongoing, severity 2
- Houthi embargo on Saudi shipping and attacks at Bab el-Mandeb: security incident, 2026-07-20 (20 July 2026), ongoing, severity 3
- Russia halts commercial shipping through the Kerch Strait: security incident, 2026-07-10 (10 July 2026), ongoing, severity 5
- Panama Canal cuts Neopanamax draft and daily transit slots: drought restriction, 2026-07-01 (1 July 2026), ongoing, severity 3
- Record low water at Kaub restricts Rhine barge shipping: drought restriction, 2026-08-01 (1 August 2026), ongoing, severity 3
- Typhoon Dolphin halts container terminals at Ningbo and Shanghai: weather stoppage, 2026-08-07 (7 August 2026) to 2026-08-11 (11 August 2026), severity 3
- Typhoon Saudel closes Ningbo and Shanghai container terminals: weather stoppage, 2026-08-26 (26 August 2026) to 2026-08-28 (28 August 2026), severity 3
Also added: 40 earlier events that began more than 90 days before the end of the week, recorded to fill gaps in the archive rather than reported as news. See the timeline.
Ongoing
- Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea divert traffic around Africa: security incident, 2023-11-19 (19 November 2023), ongoing, severity 5
- Earthquake suspends container terminals at Colombia’s Buenaventura port: terminal closure, 2026-08-10 (10 August 2026), ongoing, severity 2
- Durban Gateway Terminal backlog follows terminal operating system cutover: congestion episode, 2026-08-15 (15 August 2026), ongoing, severity 2
- EU ban on seaborne Russian crude and the G7 price cap take effect: sanctions action, 2022-12-05 (5 December 2022), ongoing, severity 2
- Ver.di warning strikes halt container handling at German seaports: labour action, 2026-08-17 (17 August 2026), ongoing, severity 2
- Houthi embargo on Saudi shipping and attacks at Bab el-Mandeb: security incident, 2026-07-20 (20 July 2026), ongoing, severity 3
- Russia halts commercial shipping through the Kerch Strait: security incident, 2026-07-10 (10 July 2026), ongoing, severity 5
- Panama Canal cuts Neopanamax draft and daily transit slots: drought restriction, 2026-07-01 (1 July 2026), ongoing, severity 3
- Record low water at Kaub restricts Rhine barge shipping: drought restriction, 2026-08-01 (1 August 2026), ongoing, severity 3
- Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping during the Iran war: security incident, 2026-03-01 (1 March 2026), ongoing, severity 5
Headlines
Headlines from curated trade and general press feeds, linked to the publisher. Not our analysis.
- Diana Shipping Inc. Announces Time Charter Contract for m/v Astarte With Aquavita, Hellenic Shipping News (2026-09-16)
- Kalmar and ICTSI continue collaboration with hybrid straddle carrier order for new South Luzon Container Terminal, Hellenic Shipping News (2026-09-16)
- Japan’s Minister of the Environment and Other Government Officials Visit ICO Terminal at the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, Hellenic Shipping News (2026-09-16)
- MV Baltazar officially named in Fremantle, Western Australia, Hellenic Shipping News (2026-09-16)
- DHL to acquire Colombian logistics operator Open Market, Container News (2026-09-16)
- Weekly Vessel Valuations Report, September 15 2026, Hellenic Shipping News (2026-09-16)
- Truck inspection leads ICE to driver wanted on federal fraud charges, FreightWaves (2026-09-16)
- Amazon Shipping’s parcel delivery delights American Eagle Outfitters, FreightWaves (2026-09-16)
About this edition
This edition was generated from data and edited by a person before publication. Method and sources are described on the methodology page.