Freight
Overview
Oil, gas and dry cargoes are being shipped all over the world every day. With seaborne transportation comes exposure to shipping costs. Be it via direct cost or through the prices of feedstocks or finished products, a freight factor is always there. Highly sensitive to market shifts, geopolitics and regulations, freight is a complex and volatile part of every trade.
To manage this exposure, industry participants, from producers and traders to government agencies and financial institutions rely on our freight data for contracts, pricing formulas, analytics and arbitrage tracking.
Argus Freight consists of three dedicated services, covering trade flows for tankers, dry bulk and gas markets. Each service provides daily freight indexes, industry-specific news, market analysis and exclusive content. This enables you to connect the dots between commodity prices and shipping costs, giving you a complete view of the supply chain.
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Hormuz vessel traffic at 10 Thursday: Windward
Hormuz vessel traffic at 10 Thursday: Windward
New York, 11 September (Argus) — Vessel traffic through the strait of Hormuz fell to a one-week low on Thursday while Iran continues to crack down on shipping in the southern traffic lane. Vessel traffic through the strait of Hormuz on Thursday fell to 10 crossings, with four inbound transits on the southern US-assisted lane and two on the northern Iranian-controlled lane, according to data from vessel tracking firm Windward. The four remaining trips were outbound, with all but one taking place on the southern lane, Windward data shows. This was the lowest daily traffic volume through the strait since 4 September, and was near 7.5pc of levels prior to the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran that prompted the "closure" of the strait of Hormuz. Iran has stepped up attacks on vessels in the southern lane, including two attacks on Thursday reported by the UK Maritime Trade Organisation. By Charlotte Bawol Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Trump expects elevated oil prices into November
Trump expects elevated oil prices into November
Washington, 9 September (Argus) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that global oil prices are unlikely to stabilize until after the 3 November midterm congressional elections. "Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward", Trump told reporters. "It's going to take a little bit longer than the midterms." Trump, since he started the war against Iran more than six months ago, has routinely predicted that the conflict would wrap up quickly because of the supposed destruction of Iran's military potential. But on Wednesday, Trump laid out a new narrative that dispenses with his earlier claims of an imminent Iranian collapse, arguing that Tehran's strategy is taking the US electoral calendar into play. Iran is "desperate to try and affect the election so that we can get a nice, weak group of people in (Congress), and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon," Trump said. But, he added: "The war will end immediately after the election because they can't hold out any longer." Trump was speaking to reporters before leaving Washington to attend an unusual, mid-term Republican party convention in Dallas, Texas, where party members hope to tout efforts to bring down prices for consumers. When the US joined Israel in attacking Iran on 28 February, Republicans envisioned a geopolitical victory abroad and cheaper fuel prices at home, a combination that would put wind at their backs to hold unified control of Congress. But, less than two months before the elections, polls indicate that Democrats are likely to wrest control of at least one chamber, if not both. The turnaround in political fortunes, in part, reflects voter concerns over rising inflation, not least because of higher fuel prices stemming from the Mideast Gulf supply disruption. US retail gasoline prices averaged $4.16/USG in the week ended on 7 September, up by around 40pc from late February. "We'll get them down, for gasoline, below $2 a gallon," Trump said on Wednesday. Trump, who ran for re-election in 2024 on a platform promising to cut US energy prices by half, downplayed voters' concerns about rising fuel prices. "I think it's very easy to explain to Americans," he said. "All you have to do is say, 'Will you let Iran have a nuclear weapon?' And the answer is 'no.'" The US and Iran are locked in a struggle for control of the strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway for Mideast Gulf oil and LNG exports where commercial traffic remains well below pre-war levels. The US-Iran military confrontation has escalated in recent days, with US forces destroying eight Iranian tankers in the Mideast Gulf and the Gulf of Oman since 5 September. The Pentagon cited attempted Iranian missile attacks on US warships as a justification for destroying Iranian tankers. "You're going to see a lot more" attacks on Iranian tankers, Trump said. Iran has responded with attacks on the US military base in Jordan and claimed that it has targeted multiple vessels in and around the strait of Hormuz. Two tankers were struck by unknown projectiles in separate attacks within the Mideast Gulf, maritime security organization UK Maritime Trade Operations reported on Wednesday. Iran's ability to target US warships and commercial vessels passing through Hormuz counters recent US claims of having decisively eliminated Tehran's military threat and of enabling an increase in oil exports through the critical waterway. Crude futures have settled higher in each of the past six sessions dating back to 31 August, with October Nymex WTI trading near $96/bl on Wednesday morning. By Haik Gugarats Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Hormuz traffic up to 16 vessels: Windward
Hormuz traffic up to 16 vessels: Windward
New York, 9 September (Argus) — Vessel traffic through the strait of Hormuz rose to 16 transits on Tuesday, largely on the Iranian controlled northern lane, data from maritime security firm Windward shows. Out of 16 vessel transits, ten crossed inbound, six on the Iranian controlled northern lane, and four using the US-assisted southern lane, Windward data shows. Of the six outbound vessels four took the northern lane and two took the southern lane. Vessel traffic was up slightly from 15 transits the day prior but stood around 12pc of pre-war levels. Expanded fighting around the strait at the start of the week is likely to discourage increases in vessel traffic in the near term. The US military on Tuesday carried out strikes that destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Mideast Gulf and Gulf of Oman while Iran retaliated with missiles targeting a US base in Jordan. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it launched ballistic missile attacks against two US Navy destroyers and targeted multiple vessels in and around the strait of Hormuz. The UK Maritime Trade Organization reported two incidents on vessels on Wednesday, one 28 nautical miles (nm) southeast of Al-Faw, Iraq, and one 24 nm off of Port Rashid, UAE. By Charlotte Bawol Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US strikes Iranian tankers, Iran hits US base: Update
US strikes Iranian tankers, Iran hits US base: Update
Updates with details throughout. Washington, 8 September (Argus) — The US military on Tuesday carried out strikes that destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in the Mideast Gulf and Gulf of Oman while Iran retaliated with a barrage of missiles targeting a US base in Jordan. US forces destroyed the tanker Derya near Kharg Island, Iran's key oil loading hub, said Central Command (Centcom), which oversees the Middle East-based US forces. The US also destroyed the tankers Kaviz , Charminar , Horizon 1 and Riesco located in the Gulf of Oman, giving crew enough warning to abandon the vessels first, according to Centcom. US forces destroyed three Iranian tankers on 5 September. In both cases, Centcom cited Iranian missile attacks against US warships as a justification for the destruction of Iranian tankers. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Tuesday, following the latest US attacks, that it will retaliate with attacks on US bases across the region. IRGC also issued a warning to crews of all tankers located at ports or near the coast of Kuwait and Bahrain to evacuate vessels, according to Iranian news agency Tasnim, which is affiliated with IRGC. Alerts issued by the Jordanian defense authorities indicate that a US military base in that country became a target of Iranian missile attacks. So far, there has been no independent confirmation of any hits against tankers near Kuwait and Bahrain. Tehran threatened severe retaliation after the 5 September attacks. It said it struck 6 tankers across the Mideast Gulf, but there has been no independent confirmation of direct Iranian attacks on tankers since 5 September. Iran's ability to target US warships and commercial vessels passing through Hormuz counters recent US claims of having decisively eliminated Tehran's military threat and of enabling an increase in oil exports through the critical waterway. A number of energy sector facilities in the southern region of Saudi Arabia came under attack early Tuesday, according to the Saudi energy ministry, causing fires at a number of locations. Yemen's Houthi militant group has taken credit for those attacks. Iran will soon announce the establishment of a new and broader "prohibited zone" for vessels looking to cross the strait of Hormuz, Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mosen Rezaei said on Monday. Vessel traffic through the strait of Hormuz rose to 15 transits on Monday from 12 the previous day but still remained well below pre-war levels, data from maritime security Windward show. October Nymex WTI was up by 2pc to settle at $93.03/bl on Tuesday. By Haik Gugarats Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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