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IMF PortWatch
Organisation

IMF PortWatch

IMF-Oxford-TU Delft satellite platform tracking global shipping chokepoints; the reference data for Hormuz's slow reopening.

Built by the IMF, Oxford's Environmental Change Institute and TU Delft, and launched in November 2023, PortWatch tracks AIS shipping data across 2,065 ports and 28 chokepoints, publishing free weekly indicators that traders and policymakers use to spot disruption before official trade data catches up.

Last refreshed: 20 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Is the Strait of Hormuz reopening, or is one strong day masking a weak trend?

Timeline for IMF PortWatch

#28 19 Jul

Published transponder data showing 479 vessels anchored regionally

European Energy Markets: Gas prices a strait nobody can verify
#23 3 Jul

Counted Hormuz vessel transits four days after the 29 June stand-down

European Energy Markets: Hormuz stand-down has not reopened the strait
#24 1 Jul

Tracked Hormuz transits at roughly a third of pre-crisis levels

European Energy Markets: Hormuz tankers hit pre-war daily range
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Background

IMF PortWatch is a maritime trade-monitoring platform built jointly by the International Monetary Fund, Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute and Delft University of Technology, launched in November 2023 and since adopted by the United Nations. It combines satellite-based AIS vessel-tracking data with big-data analytics to publish indicators, updated weekly, for over 2,065 ports and 28 global chokepoints, including the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal.

Access is free: the underlying datasets sit on the UN's Humanitarian Data Exchange, and the platform itself runs as a public beta at imf.org. Because commercial shipping data typically lags by weeks, PortWatch has become the reference dataset traders, policymakers and researchers cite first when a chokepoint disruption breaks, from Red Sea attacks to the Panama Canal drought.

Its core value is methodological: insurers, shipowners, central banks and commodity desks read PortWatch's slower-moving weekly transit trend, not any single strong or weak daily count, to judge whether a chokepoint disruption is genuinely easing or a headline is running ahead of the data.

Common Questions

Reference

Is IMF PortWatch free to use?
Yes. The platform runs as a public beta at imf.org and its underlying datasets are openly published on the UN's Humanitarian Data Exchange.
How does PortWatch track shipping movements?
It combines satellite-based Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel signals with big-data analytics, updating its chokepoint and port indicators weekly.
Who built the IMF PortWatch platform?
The IMF built it jointly with the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute and TU Delft, launching in November 2023 and later adopted by the UN.Source: University of Oxford
What is IMF PortWatch?
A free platform built by the IMF, Oxford University and TU Delft that uses satellite AIS vessel data to track port activity and trade flows at over 2,065 ports and 28 global chokepoints.
Why hasn't Hormuz shipping recovered since the stand-down?
PortWatch data shows traffic still FAR below the pre-crisis baseline, and QatarEnergy's LNG restart is running at only about 35% of nameplate capacity.Source: IMF PortWatch
How many ships are crossing the Strait of Hormuz now?
IMF PortWatch counted 27-43 transits a day in early July 2026, against a pre-crisis baseline near 84, four days after the 29 June stand-down.Source: IMF PortWatch
Why is IMF PortWatch data important for the Strait of Hormuz?
It is the reference dataset showing Hormuz transits still running at a fraction of pre-crisis levels days after the 29 June stand-down, cutting through single-day tanker counts that suggest a faster recovery.
Source Material
UN adopts Oxford ECI's PortWatch to monitor global shipping and trade risksIMF PortWatchIMF and University of Oxford launch 'PortWatch' PlatformIMF PortWatch