Day 16 of the Oil Blocked: Cautions from the Navy

By Mark Davidson on March 15, 2026 • ( 0 )

(15 March 2026) It is now 10 pm MST March 15, or, 5 AM GMT, March 16.

As of now, the Strait of Hormuz continues to be blocked. It has been blocked for 16 days. About 256 to 320 million barrels of oil have been removed from global oil supplies by Iran’s closing of the Strait of Hormuz.

The idea of the Second Signpost having started March 2 is still in play.

Before the war, around February 27, there was a line of oil tanker traffic in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, just as we see today going through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea at the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula (see top map). The Strait of Hormuz today shows no such traffic (bottom map). Both maps are shown in order to better show the Strait’s blockage vs. normal traffic.

Oil tanker traffic through Gulf of Aden on March 15, 2026. From marinetraffic.com.

Oil tanker lack of traffic through Strait of Hormuz on March 15, 2026. From marinetraffic.com.

We are currently waiting for the next move in this war. There threats from both sides. There is talk of Trump sending several thousand US marines to occupy Kharg Island.

The IRGC is threatening to strike oil ports and facilities of its Arab neighbors.

News Item: Strait of Hormuz Possible “Killbox”

The Daily Mail reports that the US Navy has cautioned that, “Sending US sailors to the narrow strait will likely turn them into easy targets for disastrous Iranian drone and missile strikes, according to the Navy.”

Conclusion

Today is a relatively quiet news day compared to the news in the last few days. In the early hours of the commodity market open, WTI is hovering at around $100 per barrel.

Keep watch.