The route serves Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, using a combination of road and multimodal transport. Rhenus says more than 190,000 kg of cargo has moved through the corridor in less than a month. Transit times are estimated at 10–13 days from Türkiye and 19–22 days from Europe.
The service supports tautliner trucks carrying up to 24 tonnes and reefer trucks carrying up to 23 tonnes, covering both general and temperature-controlled cargo.
Rhenus cited one completed shipment from France to the UAE for oil and gas supply firm FTE, which was delivered in 18 days.
Pressure on conventional routes
The launch comes as freight networks in the region remain under strain. Airspace restrictions, adjusted airline schedules and fuel-related costs continue to weigh on air cargo capacity. Ocean freight has also been affected by increased security measures around the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal, with congestion and surcharges building at alternative hubs.
The Financial Times reported this week that some shipping companies have shifted cargo onto truck routes through the Middle East, although trucks can only absorb a fraction of the volumes normally moved by sea.
Rhenus joins wider shift from ships to trucks
Rhenus is not the only logistics operator turning to road and multimodal routes as conflict disrupts maritime traffic through the Gulf.
In March, CMA CGM launched emergency multimodal corridors to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, routing cargo through alternative gateways including Jeddah, Khor Fakkan, Fujairah and Sohar, with onward feeder, landbridge and trucking connections to the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
The pressure has extended to bulk and commodity exporters. Saudi state-controlled mining company Ma’aden scaled an emergency overland operation to around 3,500 trucks to move fertiliser from the Gulf side of Saudi Arabia to Red Sea export routes, according to the Wall Street Journal. The fleet grew in stages from 600 to 1,600, then 2,000 and finally around 3,500 vehicles, reportedly running around the clock with two drivers per truck.
UAE fertiliser producer Fertiglobe has similarly turned to land logistics. Chief executive Ahmed El-Hoshy told investors the company was using trucks to move product to ports outside the Strait of Hormuz. The Financial Times later reported that higher fertiliser prices were helping offset the additional cost of the overland workaround.
The broader trend was examined in an IRU webinar in April, where officials and operators described how the conflict had pushed more cargo onto Middle Eastern roads. Speakers cautioned, however, that land routes are not a direct replacement for maritime capacity — they are being used primarily for time-sensitive, high-priority or operationally critical goods when sea corridors become slower, riskier or harder to access.
Separate from Trans-Caspian expansion
The Jordan corridor is distinct from Rhenus’ Trans-Caspian route development announced in April, which focuses on Europe–Asia flows via Türkiye, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, primarily as a bypass of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
The new route targets Europe–Gulf freight specifically. Key destinations include Riyadh, Dammam, Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi. Rhenus said the corridor was developed through coordination between its teams in Germany, Italy, Türkiye and the UAE.
