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 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)
• Kuwait
  • Shuwaikh - Operational,
  • Shuaiba - Partially operational
• Saudi Ports – Operational
• Umm Qasr – Operational
• Hamad – Operational
• Bahrain – Partially Operational
• Oman
  • Sohar - Operational
  • Salalah – Operations Suspended after incident on 11^th March
  • Duqm - Operational
• Beirut – Operational
• Aqaba – Operational

Important Note:

• Green Corridor activated between Dubai and the Port of Oman for shipments transferred through land routes
• So far Khor Fakkan, Sohar and Jeddah are coming out are the three main Gateways into the Upper Gulf depending upon the final POL or POD outside M.E
• DP World is offering Bonded Truck service from Khor Fakkan and Fujairah to Jebel Ali Port
  • Final clearance at Jebel Ali Port
  • Service applicable for both local Import and Free Zone shipments
  • Similar service also provided by other vendors to Sharjah & Abu Dhabi Port
• Similar service also being offered to Sharjah & Abu Dhabi
• Government of India has also issued a SOP to major Indian ports to mitigate the impact through collaborative steps, concessions and prioritization of Middle East shipments

• 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
• For diversions to ports outside the M.E, carriers are giving the option of COD at an additional cost
• There will continue to be an increase of these offloads, and they are being monitored closely by the Ops teams
• Various carriers have announced they will end journeys early, omit ports or return back

• More End of Voyages announcements coming in from carriers like ESL, Maersk, MSC etc
• HMM announces Declaration of Deviation for shipments bound to Middle East, and all shipments are imposed with an additional cost of $1000/Container
• Carriers have ships trapped within the Arabian Gulf and they are working on clearing the cargo on-board them and then deploying at least some of these Vsls as shuttle for Intra-Gulf movements, taking away the need for trucking solutions all the way to countries like KW/BH/QA/IQ and thereby easing the pressure on Truck availability which is a huge concern along with border delays and backlogs
• Declaration of Deviation made by HMM for all vessels enroute to the M.E and an additional Deviation cost of $1,000/Container
• Maersk also now accepting Empty returns only at Salalah, Sohar & Jeddah
• MSC declared End of Voyage for exports from Arabian & Persian Gulf that couldn’t leave the Hormuz Strait before the start of the conflict
• MSC has stopped booking acceptance for Gulf on their Falcon service until further notice
• On 3^rd March MSC declared End of Voyage for all shipments located ashore or at Sea and destined for the Arabian Gulf. Shipments will be diverted to another port deemed safe subject to $800/Container mandatory charge and any other charges that may arise
• Solution are being offered from Asia to Iraq via the eastern ports of Turkey like Mersin and Iskenderun
• COSCO all bookings to/from Upper Gulf except Oman, Jeddah, Fujairah & Khor Fakkan have been suspended
• Evergreen suspends all bookings to/from the Middle East except of Jeddah and Omani ports
• YML acceptance of all new bookings to Arabian Gulf ports remains suspended
• CMA CGM stopped acceptance to reefer & DG bookings
• CMA CGM has stopped accepting any bookings to/from BH, KW, IQ, QA, KSA (except JED, KAP) and AE (except KLF & FUJ)
• CMA CGM has activated Clause 10 with regards to the diversion of cargo on Vsls CMA CGM Nevada and CMA CGM Don Pascuale, giving cargo owners 7 days to decide on the fate of their cargo
• CMA service suspended passage through the Suez Canal, now halted until further notice, vessels being rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope
• Effective immediately Maersk has suspended all reefer, dangerous / special cargo acceptance in and out of UAE, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia until further notice
• Maersk has suspended M.E related services FM1 and ME11. While ME1 service from Europe is no longer calling Jebel Ali port. Hapag Lloyd also impacted by this change
• Maersk has also suspended all new bookings between the India Subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) and the Upper Gulf markets of UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia (Dammam and Jubail only), exceptions will be made for critical foodstuff, pharma and other essential goods
• Maersk has also suspended all DG cargo movement to/from Isreal, rest remains open
• Main liners are still accepting bookings from Europe & Americas Eastbound to the Red Sea
• Gemini and Maersk standalone services will not route via the canal as previously announced.
• SeaLead continues to transit via Bab Al Mandab, along with other carriers like PIL, ESL etc
• All carriers have now officially halted/suspended any transit via Hormuz Strait due to security reasons and are not accepting any bookings to/from or via the Arabian Gulf Ports

• 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 are rising, GRIs, War Risk, EFS and other related surcharges are being applied across the region and beyond
• Bunker costs are creeping up with the closure of the strait oil prices will increase and the bunker eventually as a result
• Anticipate congestion in Gulf ports and Asian transshipment hubs depending on rerouting of current cargo
• Equipment imbalance likely, with shortages of empties at a later stage within the region

• 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.