Stephen Colbert isn't typically known for recommending shipping data apps, yet during the Iran war he told "Late Show" viewers that Kpler's MarineTraffic had become his favorite. The real-time tanker tracking service shows small colorful arrows on a map representing ships stranded in the Persian Gulf—and suddenly everyone from oil traders to political leaders was glued to the same screen.

Kpler, one of the world's largest commodities and shipping data providers, has emerged as one of the conflict's clearest winners. When Iran moved to choke off the Strait of Hormuz—a conduit for a fifth of the world's oil—with early war attacks, oil customers urgently needed to know if their cargoes had been held up. The U.S. blockade of Iran's ports and shadow fleet last month sharpened that need further, as economists and policymakers scrambled for data on the supply shock heading their way.

Kpler's maps have since blanketed television news broadcasts, social media feeds and traders' terminals, turning obscure ships into objects of global fascination. The company has drummed up enormous business for the cottage industry that tracks maritime traffic—a stark reminder of how geopolitical crises can transform niche data services into indispensable tools for the global energy market.