Lloyd's List
Maritime intelligence publication founded 1734, now the primary open-source tracker of IRGC Hormuz toll enforcement.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can a shipping journal founded in 1734 become a live intelligence feed shaping US-Iran policy?
Latest on Lloyd's List
- What is Lloyd's List?
- Lloyd's List is one of the world's oldest maritime intelligence publications, founded in 1734 at Lloyd's Coffee House in London. Today it operates as a subscription intelligence service under Informa's maritime division, providing vessel tracking, port calls, and supply-chain risk data through its Lloyd's List Intelligence arm.Source: Lloyd's List
- What did Lloyd's List report about the IRGC toll system?
- Lloyd's List Intelligence was one of the first outlets to confirm the IRGC toll system on the Strait of Hormuz as operational. It reported approximately 90 vessels transited with IRGC clearance in the first two weeks of March 2026, with tolls reaching $2 million per vessel negotiated individually in cash, cryptocurrency, or barter.Source: Lloyd's List Intelligence
- How many ships are anchored outside the Strait of Hormuz?
- According to Lloyd's List Intelligence, more than 150 vessels were sitting at anchor in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea after the P&I insurance deadline passed on 5 March 2026. US Navy convoy escorts remained non-operational at that point.Source: Lloyd's List
- What is the difference between Lloyd's List and Lloyd's of London?
- Lloyd's List is a maritime intelligence publication; Lloyd's of London is an insurance market. Both trace their roots to Lloyd's Coffee House in London around 1688, but they separated institutionally in the 19th century and are now entirely independent organisations with no common ownership.Source: Lloyd's List
- Who owns Lloyd's List?
- Lloyd's List is owned by Informa plc, a British academic and business intelligence company. The publication's data arm, Lloyd's List Intelligence, provides real-time vessel-tracking and supply-chain analytics as a separate subscription product within the same group.Source: Informa plc
Background
Lloyd's List has tracked global shipping since 1734, making it one of the world's oldest continuously published journals. Originating as a handwritten notice posted at Lloyd's Coffee House in London, where merchants, underwriters, and captains exchanged intelligence, it evolved into a subscription-based intelligence service. Today it operates under Informa's maritime division, with a data arm, Lloyd's List Intelligence, providing real-time vessel tracking, port calls, and supply-chain risk analytics.
In the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, Lloyd's List Intelligence became the primary open-source tracker of IRGC toll enforcement. It reported the toll system operational in early March, documenting approximately 90 vessels transiting with IRGC clearance in the first two weeks, tolls reaching $2 million per vessel . It also tracked over 150 vessels anchored in the Gulf of Oman after P&I insurance clubs withdrew cover .
Lloyd's List's intelligence shapes insurance pricing, charter decisions, and government policy simultaneously, making it a lever in the geopolitical standoff. Its real-time vessel data underpins the two-tier shipping system emerging between US-aligned nations and those negotiating bilateral transit deals with Tehran . Whether a publisher can sustain that influence without becoming a tool of statecraft remains an open question.
