Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained below normal levels on 2 August despite continued vessel movements, while the world’s largest shipbroker reported record profits that it said were driven by disruption to global trade during the conflict involving Iran. According to maritime monitoring data by Kpler, nine confirmed vessel transits were recorded through the Strait of Hormuz on August 2, including two sanctioned vessels and two linked to the so-called shadow fleet.
Seven ships used the Iranian Unilateral Scheme, while none followed the established Traffic Separation Scheme, indicating that vessel movements remain concentrated along alternative routes.
Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait also declined, with 30 crossings recorded on 2 August compared with 41 two days earlier. Twenty vessels exited the Red Sea while 10 entered. Only one vessel was reported to have made a “dark transit” without publicly transmitting its position, improving visibility for maritime monitoring.
Hormuz traffic remains constrained
Traffic remained active through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb on 2 August, but the two corridors continued to present distinct risk profiles. Hormuz recorded nine confirmed transits, including two sanctioned and two shadow fleet… pic.twitter.com/eaZyuAOYwA
— Kpler (@Kpler) August 3, 2026
Despite the reduction in such activity, analysts said sanctions-related risks and the threat posed by Yemen’s Houthi movement continue to affect shipping in the region. They added that, until diplomatic signals from the United States, Iran and Oman result in clear navigation arrangements, operators should continue to regard both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb as contested waterways rather than fully normalised trade routes.
While shipping companies continue to face disruption, UK-based shipbroker Clarksons reported record financial results, citing what it described as “exceptional volatility” in global shipping markets.
According to Fortune, Clarksons posted an operating profit of $87 million for the six months to 30 June, a rise of more than 55% compared with the same period last year. Revenue increased by almost 40% to $555.5 million.
The company, founded in 1852, acts as an intermediary between shipowners and cargo owners, helping to arrange maritime transport.
Chief executive Andi Case said the company’s performance reflected changing global trade patterns during the conflict. “Clarksons delivered a record first half performance, reflecting both the investment into our underlying business and the exceptional volatility caused by the disruption to global trade from global conflict including the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said in a statement. “We expect the full year performance of the Group to be materially ahead of market expectations.”
Case said the disruption had “created a pronounced shock across global shipping markets”, leading to changes in trade routes and a “period of operational dislocation” that had driven up freight rates and hedging activity.
According to maritime analytics company Kpler, vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen from more than 100 ships a day before the conflict began in February to around 33 daily transits.
Although US President Donald Trump has signalled that negotiations with Iran could resume after cancelling a planned military operation, shipping disruptions have continued as the conflict has expanded across parts of the Gulf region.
The situation has also affected the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where Yemen’s Houthi movement has targeted shipping, while attacks linked to the war in Ukraine have continued to disrupt trade routes serving Black Sea ports.
The resulting supply chain disruptions have affected several industries, including aviation, where fuel costs have increased, and agriculture, which has experienced shortages of some fertiliser ingredients linked to disrupted shipping routes.
Jean-Paul Rodrigue, professor of maritime business administration at Texas A&M University at Galveston, told Fortune that periods of geopolitical instability often create both winners and losers across global markets. “In any market, any disruptions, obviously, create some kind of a zero-sum game,” he told Fortune. “That is, some actors are losing and the others are gaining the equivalent loss.”
He said demand for shipbrokers rises when uncertainty makes it harder for cargo owners to secure transport. “When you have geopolitical instability, of course, it disrupts the market,” Rodrigue said. “It creates uncertainty. It creates a lack of knowledge because nobody knows what the hell is happening. Uncertainty, therefore, actually increases the importance of such firms because people are getting a bit more desperate.”