Chokepoint transits report: October 2026
AIS-detectedGenerated Nov 4, 2026 · revision 1
Summary
In October 2026, Voydar observed 7,060 transits by 4,241 commercial ships across 8 monitored canals and straits.
That compares with 2,823 in September 2026 (+150.1%); coverage changes account for much of the difference.
The busiest was the Strait of Dover, with 4,962 transits.
Counts follow AIS receiver coverage. Across the whole network, observed transits went from 2,823 in September 2026 to 7,060 in October 2026. A port or waterway that moved by about the same proportion did not necessarily change at all; compare shares, not counts.
In this report: Strait of Dover, Kiel Canal, Strait of Gibraltar, Singapore Strait, Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait)
Charts
- Cargo4,705
- Tanker2,034
- Other159
- Passenger88
- Fishing35
- High-speed craft22
- Military7
- Tug6
Data
Transits by waterway
| Waterway | Transits | Ships | Previous month | Change (%) | Monitored since |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strait of Dover | 4,962 | 3,297 | 1,416 | +250.4% | — |
| Kiel Canal | 1,483 | 789 | 387 | +283.2% | — |
| Strait of Gibraltar | 499 | 487 | 680 | -26.6% | — |
| Singapore Strait | 53 | 53 | 331 | -84% | — |
| Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait) | 38 | 38 | — | — | Oct 3, 2026 |
| Suez Canal | 20 | 20 | 2 | — | — |
| Strait of Hormuz | 3 | 3 | — | — | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Panama Canal | 2 | 2 | 7 | — | — |
Transits by direction
| Waterway | From | To | Transits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait) | south (Sea of Marmara) | north (Black Sea) | 23 |
| Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait) | north (Black Sea) | south (Sea of Marmara) | 15 |
| Kiel Canal | east (Kiel, Baltic) | west (Brunsbüttel, Elbe) | 757 |
| Kiel Canal | west (Brunsbüttel, Elbe) | east (Kiel, Baltic) | 726 |
| Panama Canal | south (Balboa, Pacific) | north (Colón, Atlantic) | 2 |
| Singapore Strait | east (South China Sea) | west (Strait of Malacca) | 38 |
| Singapore Strait | west (Strait of Malacca) | east (South China Sea) | 15 |
| Strait of Dover | north-east (North Sea) | south-west (English Channel) | 2,833 |
| Strait of Dover | south-west (English Channel) | north-east (North Sea) | 2,129 |
| Strait of Gibraltar | west (Atlantic) | east (Mediterranean) | 315 |
| Strait of Gibraltar | east (Mediterranean) | west (Atlantic) | 184 |
| Strait of Hormuz | west (Persian Gulf) | east (Gulf of Oman) | 2 |
| Strait of Hormuz | east (Gulf of Oman) | west (Persian Gulf) | 1 |
| Suez Canal | south (Suez, Red Sea) | north (Port Said, Mediterranean) | 19 |
| Suez Canal | north (Port Said, Mediterranean) | south (Suez, Red Sea) | 1 |
Transits by ship type
| Ship type (AIS) | Transits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo | 4,705 | 66.6% |
| Tanker | 2,034 | 28.8% |
| Other | 159 | 2.3% |
| Passenger | 88 | 1.2% |
| Fishing | 35 | 0.5% |
| High-speed craft | 22 | 0.3% |
| Military | 7 | 0.1% |
| Tug | 6 | 0.1% |
| Special craft | 4 | 0.1% |
Transits per day · Show the numbers as a table
Transits per day
| Day | Transits |
|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | 279 |
| Oct 2, 2026 | 273 |
| Oct 3, 2026 | 347 |
| Oct 4, 2026 | 337 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | 314 |
| Oct 6, 2026 | 221 |
| Oct 7, 2026 | 257 |
| Oct 8, 2026 | 180 |
| Oct 9, 2026 | 188 |
| Oct 10, 2026 | 225 |
| Oct 11, 2026 | 238 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 221 |
| Oct 13, 2026 | 206 |
| Oct 14, 2026 | 218 |
| Oct 15, 2026 | 254 |
| Oct 16, 2026 | 240 |
| Oct 17, 2026 | 230 |
| Oct 18, 2026 | 212 |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 95 |
| Oct 20, 2026 | 173 |
| Oct 21, 2026 | 168 |
| Oct 22, 2026 | 174 |
| Oct 23, 2026 | 161 |
| Oct 24, 2026 | 147 |
| Oct 25, 2026 | 205 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 238 |
| Oct 27, 2026 | 258 |
| Oct 28, 2026 | 216 |
| Oct 29, 2026 | 257 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | 239 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 289 |
Method and sources
- Method
- Counted by Voydar from AIS gate-line crossings, method v1+transits.v1.
- Version
- voydar.monthly_report v1+transits.v1
- Period
- Oct 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2026 (UTC)
- Generated
- Nov 4, 2026 · r1
- Sources
- AISstream.io global terrestrial AIS · AIS data: AISstream.io
Limits
- A transit is a commercial ship with a checksum-valid IMO number seen on one side of a waterway's gate line and then on the other within the waterway's time limit. Ferries, tugs, pilots and pleasure craft are excluded.
- Coverage differs widely by waterway. Low counts for the Suez and Panama canals, Hormuz or Bab-el-Mandeb reflect thin AIS reception there, not low traffic. Compare a waterway with itself over time.
- A waterway added to the monitor during the month shows the date monitoring began.
Cite this report
Please cite the permalink. The numbers on it change only if the report is regenerated, which raises the revision.
Voydar (2026). Chokepoint transits report, October 2026 (revision 1, generated 2026-11-04). https://www.voydar.com/reports/chokepoints/2026-10
Download the data
These tables are not offered as files: they are built from AIS feeds whose terms do not yet allow redistribution of derived data. You may quote the figures with a citation.