Middle East Crisis: Situation Updates

• UAE – All ports operational
  • Khor Fakkan Port not accepting any containers for Exports neither empties nor laden to manage the terminal capacity
  • Reports of congestion building up and waiting times possibly going up to 7-10 days
  • Gulftainer applies an Emergency Operational Recovery Surcharge of $100/Container, effective 15^th March 13
    • This surcharge applies to container handling services performed at Khor Fakkan Commercial Terminal (KCT)
  • For containers arriving via Khor Fakkan POD, the same can be booked until Sajaa or Mileeha ICDs thereby helping to avoid truck congestion at the port
• Kuwait
  • Shuwaikh - Operational,
  • Shuaiba - Partially operational
• Saudi Ports – Operational
• Umm Qasr – Operational
• Hamad – Operational
• Bahrain – Partially Operational
• Oman
  • Sohar - Operational
  • Salalah – Partially Operational
  • Duqm - Operational
• Beirut – Operational
• Aqaba – Operational

• Dwell times increasing across impacted ports (up to 10 days); Ops teams monitoring in real time.
• Carriers issuing early voyage terminations, port omissions, return voyages and forced diversions.
• Extended or special F/T do not apply any longer on any of the diverted shipments, and will be changed to either standard or zero days
• F/T removal though applies to all diverted shipments, but we see that for shipments diverted to Khor Fakkan this needs to be strictly followed as the Terminal is taking these steps to avoid the buildup of any congestion 

Across all major liners:

• Full suspension of bookings to/from Arabian Gulf ports; all carriers have now officially stopped accepting any services via Hormuz.
• Service omissions, early voyage terminations, diversions, and Cape of Good Hope rerouting widely in effect.
• Reefer, DG, and Special Cargo restrictions are now industry‑wide.

Examples:

• MSC: EoV declared for all Gulf‑bound shipments (3 March). Diversion & mandatory USD 800/container surcharge applied. Numerous emergency surcharges active.
• COSCO, Evergreen, YML: Broad suspensions to Upper Gulf.
• CMA CGM: Broad booking halt; Clause 10 activated on multiple vessels; Suez routings suspended.
• Maersk: Wide‑scale suspension of Gulf & ISC lanes; reefer/DG stops; FM1/ME11 suspended; acceptance only for essential cargo.
• Hapag-Lloyd: No Gulf bookings except Jeddah.
• SeaLead: Continues via Bab al Mandab (isolated case).

• No information or declarations from Carriers

• Surcharges & Cost Implications: As the situation in the Middle East continues to evolve, carriers may introduce additional charges to compensate for increased operational and security‑related risks. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
• War Risk Surcharge: Given the heightened regional security environment, carriers and insurers may introduce or adjust war‑risk premiums. These may apply to cargo already in transit as well as to new and future bookings.
• Emergency Surcharge (ES): At least one major carrier has announced an Emergency Conflict Surcharge, and additional carriers may implement similar measures depending on how operational conditions develop.
• Bunker Adjustment Charge (BUC): With the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and suspended transits through the Bab Al Mandab Strait, many vessels are now rerouting via significantly longer alternatives, including the Cape of Good Hope. Rising oil prices driven by these disruptions are expected to push global bunker costs upward, and carriers are likely to pass on these additional fuel‑related expenses.

Vessels Attacked In Arabian Gulf / Strait Of Hormuz

• MKD Vyom - Tanker
• Skylight - Tanker
• Athe Nova - Tanker
• MT Hercules Star - Tanker
• Ocean Electra (Star Electra) - Tanker
• Sea La Donna - Tanker
• Safeen Prestige - Container
• LCT Ayeh - Tanker
• Stena Imperative - Tanker
• Libra Trader – Tanker
• Musaffah 2 - Tanker
• Sonangol Namibe – Tanker
• Prima - Tanker
• MSC Grace – Container
• Gold Oak – Bulk
• Pelagia - Bulk
• Unknown Vsl – Tugboat
• Mayuree Naree – Bulk
• ONE Majesty – Container
• Star Gwyneth – Bulk
• Safeesa Vishnu – Tanker
• Zefyros – Tanker
• Source Blessing – Container

• Spot rates increasing sharply, with multiple GRIs in effect.
• Rising oil prices expected to elevate bunker levels.
• Port & transshipment congestion likely in Gulf and Asian hubs as re-routings intensify.
• Equipment imbalance emerging due to suspended flows and empty‑return bottlenecks.
• Freight tariffs (M‑level) centrally expired for MEA & Israel due to market volatility.

• Closed airspaces: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, Yemen
• Open airspace in the region:  Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman 

• Oman / MCT – operational
• UAE / DWC, DXB, AUH – limited operations only, expected to reopen
• Qatar / DOH – not operational, expected to reopen
• Saudi Arabia –airports operational
• Bahrain – not operational 

• Middle Eastern Carriers will have to clear backlogs before accepting new bookings
• Air carriers have restricted operations to Middle East destinations, capacity constraints 

• Due to foreseeable impact on jet fuel price, carriers started to introduce FSC increases
• Indirect impact: Routing changes on EU-AP and AP-EU lanes lead to increased operating cost
• Alternative routings of GCC bound shipments will attract additional lead times and rate adjustments 

• Airspace and airport closures led to significant impact on global airfreight capacity
• Short to mid term rate increases on all sectors to/from Middle East will see increases
• Indirect impact on other global network lanes unavoidable due to limitation of available capacity 

• Rates adjustments: Airfreight rates to Middle East region have been suspended, rate levels to other regions will be updated on regular basis including temporary adders
• Airfreight rate originating from Europe, Asia and Americas will be subject to temporary adders on lane level
• Fuel surcharges subject to increase

• UAE customs is operational and all is working as of now

• Customs Operational in all ports

• Kuwait customs is operational and all ports are functioning - But airspace is closed

• Hamad International Airport: Customs operational in all ports
• Hamad Port: Customs operational in all ports
• Abu Samra Border: Customs operational in all ports

• Bahrain Airport Services:  no operation at airport and sea port today 
• Khalifa Bin Salman Port:  no operation at airport and sea port today 
• King Fahad Causeway:  no operation at airport and sea port today 

• Airport: 
  • customs operational in all ports
• Seaport:
  • Apart from Salalah port, Customs operational 

• BGW, EBL and BSR Airpots / UQ: Iraq customs is operational, but all flights still suspended
• IKB border with Turkey: Iraq customs is operational, but all flights still suspended

Is the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial shipping? 

No. Carriers are avoiding the strait due to security risks; cargo is being diverted to ports such as Jeddah, Sohar and Khor Fakkan, which increases transit times and costs.

Which ports are viable right now and how congested are they? 

Jeddah, Sohar and Khor Fakkan are operational; Khor Fakkan is experiencing long truck queues and vessel berthing delays of up to ~10 days.

Can we route ocean cargo for Qatar via alternative ports and clear under bond? 

Yes. Cargo can route via Jeddah/Sohar/Khor Fakkan with bonded movements and GCC green-corridor customs simplifications into Qatar.

Are DG (dangerous goods) ocean shipments accepted? 

Acceptance is limited; only a few lines are taking DG via Jeddah depending on IMDG class.

What about reefer containers from Europe to Dubai? 

Available mainly via Jeddah and on ambient set-points (e.g., 10–25°C); frozen/chilled are more constrained due to long overland legs and genset limits.

Are shipments to Africa (e.g., Egypt/Algeria) facing surcharges? 

War Risk is applied to Middle East lanes; elsewhere, rates are still rising due to fuel and global knock-on effects.

Are we seeing congestion at transshipment hubs like Singapore or Mumbai? 

Yes, rising yard utilization and returns-to-hub for Gulf-destined cargo are creating growing congestion risks.

What ocean options exist from India into the GCC now? 

Exports continue from Nhava Sheva/Mundra into Sohar/Khor Fakkan or Jeddah, with added time for the inland/bonded leg to final GCC destinations.

Are bulk vessels (e.g., ore/aggregates) able to reach Kuwait? 

Technically possible, but most carriers avoid Hormuz; alternative is containerizing in big bags where feasible.

Have carriers resumed new bookings from China/SEA into the Gulf? 

Only a limited set of carriers are taking bookings into Sohar/Khor Fakkan; capacity is tight and subject to change.

Are we still accepting air freight from China into the Middle East? 

Yes. DGF continues to accept; flows primarily enter via Riyadh and Muscat with trucking to final GCC.

How stable is air capacity and what about Dubai Airport disruptions? 

Capacity has improved, and backlogs in EU/Asia were cleared, but airport events and fuel shortages keep schedules volatile.

How are shipments to Bahrain handled while its airspace is closed? 

We fly into Riyadh/Muscat/Dubai and truck to Bahrain under established road corridors.

Can shipments stuck in Doha be moved to Dubai? 

Yes. Amend the MAWB to Doha, recover cargo, and truck to Dubai under bond.

What’s the situation for Israel-bound shipments? 

Service is via Cyprus and sea to Haifa when security allows; direct flights used opportunistically.

What is the EU→GCC Landbridge via Egypt and its constraints? 

Ocean to Alexandria, cross-load to road into GCC. Standard box trailers preferred; 40’ containers are cross-loaded; flatbeds require MOT approvals; reefer <15°C is challenging.

What are border conditions across the GCC? 

Borders are open and customs supportive; expect post‑Eid spikes. Truck queues are growing at Khor Fakkan.

Transit time from Doha to Dubai by road? 

Typically 2–3 days depending on border clearance and documentation.

Is overland from Erbil (Iraq) to Abu Dhabi feasible? 

Yes. Direct road with cross‑load at Iraq–Kuwait, then onward to UAE, subject to permits and transit approvals.

Can we move precious metals or controlled powders? 

Yes. DHL has a compliant precious‑metals product; controlled commodities can move subject to permits and routing via active hubs.