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

Background

Kpler is a commodity shipping and trade analytics firm that tracks physical flows of oil, gas, LNG, coal, and other commodities using AIS transponder data combined with satellite and SAR imagery. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Paris, the company enables independent verification of official claims about trade routes, sanctions compliance, and market disruptions.

Kpler's Hormuz vessel counts became the canonical independent metric for testing official blockade claims during the 2026 Iran war. On 15 April 2026, CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper claimed US forces had 'completely halted' Iranian oil exports; Kpler counted 8 transits that day. The pre-war baseline was roughly 135 vessels per day. Kpler data is cited alongside CENTCOM's own counts by Goldman Sachs, the OIES, and media covering the Hormuz situation.

In European energy markets, Kpler cargo tracking records LNG terminal sendout rates and cargo routing. Its data covers Golden Pass Atlantic cargoes reaching Adriatic LNG in May 2026, TurkStream flow data via ENTSOG cross-reference, and overall LNG import volumes by terminal. Kpler is regularly cited alongside AGSI+ and Sodir as a principal source for EU gas market analysis.

In European oil markets, Kpler's cargo data provided the key demand-side datapoint underlying the Brent-Dubai EFS compression tracked through May and June 2026. Kpler put Chinese seaborne crude imports at roughly 6.78 million barrels a day in May 2026, the lowest May reading in almost a decade, down from 8.5 mbd in April against a 10.66 mbd 2025 average. The data reframed the EFS compression: the light-sweet Brent premium was deflating on genuine demand softness, not solely on Hormuz Ceasefire expectations, and the spread's failure to re-widen on the 18 June MOU signing confirmed this read.

On 22 June, Kpler tracked only 12 Hormuz transits against CENTCOM's claim of 55 merchant ships, a 43-vessel gap that Behrouz Bakhtiari attributed to AIS-dark vessels routing along the Omani shoreline. The discrepancy makes Kpler's tracked count a lower bound for true flow through the strait: an unquantified additional volume is moving outside AIS coverage via the Omani corridor, which is neither openly declared nor verifiably blocked. Kpler's China import figures and Hormuz transit counts are cited alongside shadow-fleet tonnage data in the EU's 21st sanctions package assessment.

More questions

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

What is Kpler and how does it track oil flows?

Kpler is a commodity analytics firm founded in 2014 in Paris that tracks physical flows of oil, gas, LNG, and other commodities using AIS vessel tracking data combined with satellite and SAR imagery, enabling independent verification of trade routes.Source: Kpler

How many tankers did Kpler count through the Strait of Hormuz during the blockade?

Kpler recorded 5 transits on 9 April 2026, 7 on 10 April, and 8 on 15 April — the day CENTCOM claimed a 'complete halt' of Iranian oil exports. The pre-war baseline was roughly 135 vessel transits per day.Source: event

Does Kpler track LNG cargo routing for Europe?

Yes. Kpler tracks LNG cargo routing including Atlantic cargoes from Golden Pass LNG (Texas) to Adriatic LNG (Italy) and terminal-level sendout across European LNG import terminals. Its data complements AGSI+ and Sodir in European gas market analysis.Source: event

What does Kpler say about Chinese oil imports in 2026?

Kpler recorded Chinese seaborne crude imports at roughly 6.78 million barrels a day in May 2026, the lowest May print in almost a decade and well below the 10.66 mbd 2025 average. The figure is widely cited as evidence of genuine demand softness from China's state refiners.Source: Kpler

What is Kpler and how does it track oil shipments?

Kpler is a Paris-based commodity analytics firm founded in 2014. It tracks physical flows of oil, gas, LNG and other commodities using AIS vessel transponder data combined with satellite and SAR imagery.Source: Kpler website

How many ships did Kpler track through the Strait of Hormuz?

On 22 June 2026, Kpler tracked 12 Hormuz transits against CENTCOM's claim of 55 merchant ships. The 43-vessel gap reflects AIS-dark vessels routing via the Omani shoreline corridor outside tracked channels.Source: event

Why does Kpler's Hormuz count differ from CENTCOM's figure?

Kpler's AIS-based tracking cannot see vessels that have disabled their transponders. On 22 June 2026, an estimated 43 additional ships were routing along the Omani coast with AIS off, making Kpler's count a lower bound for real traffic through the strait.Source: event

What did Kpler data show about Chinese crude imports in May 2026?

Kpler put Chinese seaborne crude imports at approximately 6.78 million barrels a day in May 2026, the lowest May reading in almost a decade and down sharply from 8.5 mbd in April. The figure was the key data point establishing Asian demand softness as the main driver of Brent-Dubai EFS compression.Source: event