Common Questions

What is Kpler and what do they track?: Kpler is a commodity shipping analytics firm that tracks real-time vessel movements using AIS transponder data combined with satellite imagery. Energy markets and investment banks cite it for independent assessments of global maritime trade flows.
How many tankers went through the Strait of Hormuz after the ceasefire?: Kpler recorded zero oil tankers transiting Hormuz on Ceasefire Day 1 (8 April 2026), then 5 on 9 April and 7 on 10 April, against a pre-war baseline of roughly 135 per day.Source: Kpler / Lowdown
Did the US really halt Iranian oil exports in April 2026?: CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper claimed on 15 April that US forces had 'completely halted' Iranian oil exports. Kpler counted 8 Hormuz transits the same day, and sanctioned Chinese tankers transited unchallenged. The claim was contradicted by the data.Source: Kpler / Lowdown update 69
How does Kpler track ships through the Strait of Hormuz?: Kpler combines AIS transponder broadcasts with satellite and SAR imagery, allowing it to identify vessels that spoof or disable AIS. The method is considered robust against dark-fleet evasion.Source: Kpler
Is Kpler reliable for LNG market data?: Yes. Kpler figures underpin reporting on the 8 Atlantic LNG cargoes diverted to Asia via the Cape of Good Hope in April 2026 and on QatarEnergy's force-majeure declarations. Goldman Sachs and the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies cite Kpler in their analysis.Source: Kpler / OIES

Background

Kpler is a commodity shipping and trade analytics firm whose Hormuz vessel counts have become the canonical metric for testing official blockade claims in the 2026 Iran war. On 15 April 2026, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters US forces had "completely halted" Iranian oil exports; Kpler counted 8 transits that day. The firm also recorded 5 vessel transits on 9 April and 7 on 10 April, against a pre-war baseline of roughly 135 per day. On Ceasefire Day 1 (8 April) Kpler reported zero oil tankers, giving shipping industry risk-aversion concrete numerical form.

Kpler tracks real-time vessel movements by combining AIS transponder data with satellite / SAR imagery, making it one of the most authoritative independent assessments of maritime traffic. Its coverage of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil supply passes, is closely watched by commodity traders. Goldman Sachs and other investment banks routinely cite Kpler in their market analysis, and the firm's methodology holds up where dark-fleet AIS spoofing would fool less sophisticated trackers.

The firm's influence also reaches European energy markets. Kpler figures underpin reporting on the 8 Atlantic LNG cargoes diverted from Europe to Asia via the Cape of Good Hope in April 2026, on QatarEnergy's force-majeure declarations to Belgian, Italian, and Polish buyers after the March strikes, and on the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies Quarterly Gas Review Q1 calculations. The combination of Hormuz blockade data and LNG routing analytics means Kpler sits at the centre of how global energy flows are read during the 2026 twin shocks in the Gulf and in Russian and Norwegian LNG supply.

How the World Sees Them

Iran

Tehran's state media dismissed Kpler's zero-transit figure as a temporary lag, but the firm's ongoing low counts kept pressure on Iran's reopening narrative throughout April 2026.

US CENTCOM

Cooper's 15 April 'completely halted' claim was contradicted in hours by Kpler's count of 8 transits; the firm functions as a live fact-checker on operational narrative.

Energy markets

Goldman Sachs and other traders use Kpler data to justify risk premiums; its Hormuz counts drove Brent's 2.8% rebound to $97.42 on 9 April and continuing volatility thereafter.

Shipping industry

Tanker operators follow Kpler's transit counts as validation of their own risk assessments, keeping vessels away from Hormuz even when Iran declares the strait open.

European gas buyers

Belgian, Italian, and Polish buyers reading Kpler LNG routing data watched 8 Atlantic cargoes divert to Asia via the Cape, reshaping Q2 2026 supply expectations.