Contraction in Global Energy Corridors and Turkey's Position

While contractions and route changes continue at critical transit points such as the Strait of Hormuz, Malacca, and the Red Sea in global energy trade, Turkey's position on the energy map is being addressed in the face of new trade corridors.

While oil flow is contracting in the Strait of Hormuz, tanker traffic is decreasing in Malacca, and ships are changing routes in the Red Sea. As China, Russia, India, and Gulf countries develop new trade corridors, the world energy and trade map is being redrawn. According to a report by Mehmet Öğütçü from Forbes Turkey, where oil and natural gas are produced is becoming just as important as the routes through which they are delivered to markets.

According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) for August 2026, petroleum and petroleum products passing through the Strait of Hormuz dropped from 21.6 million barrels per day in the last quarter of 2025 to 4.9 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026. The rise of Brent crude to an average of $114 in September demonstrated the impact of conflicts in the Gulf on the global economy.

According to EIA data, in the second quarter of 2026, oil shipments were 16.6 million barrels per day through Malacca, 4.9 million through Hormuz, 9.4 million through the Cape of Good Hope, 8.1 million through Bab el-Mandeb, 5.8 million through the Suez Canal and SUMED, and 4.1 million through the Turkish Straits. Daily oil flow through the Turkish Straits increased from 3.7 million barrels at the end of 2025 to 4.1 million in the second quarter of 2026. A new pipeline arrangement reached with Iraq in August 2026 covers a capacity of 750,000 barrels per day, while actual flow to Ceyhan in September was approximately 200,000 barrels.