Normal maritime flows remain constrained for cargo linked to parts of the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and eastern Saudi Arabia. In its 25 May Middle East operational update, Maersk said it was continuing to expand multimodal transport solutions across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar and Iraq, with available routes linked to Jeddah, Dammam, Aqaba, Khor Fakkan, Salalah and Sohar.
Maersk says the information is subject to change and that all transport services depend on availability and applicable laws and regulations.
Booking status by cargo type:
| Cargo type | Suspended routes | Accepted routes / exceptions |
| Dry cargo | UAE except Khor Fakkan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Dammam, Al Jubail and Bahrain | Jeddah, King Abdullah Port, Jordan, Oman’s Salalah and Sohar, Khor Fakkan for imports, Lebanon and Israel |
| Reefer | Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Dammam, Al Jubail and the UAE except Khor Fakkan | Jeddah, King Abdullah Port, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Salalah, Sohar and Khor Fakkan for imports |
| DG | UAE including Khor Fakkan, Oman’s Salalah including transhipments, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Dammam and Al Jubail | Some DG accepted to and from Jeddah, King Abdullah Port, Aqaba and Sohar, except IMO 5.1 |
| OOG | UAE including Khor Fakkan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Aqaba, Jeddah, King Abdullah Port, Dammam and Al Jubail | Also suspended from Sohar and Salalah to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar |
| In-gauge | UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Dammam and Al Jubail | Jeddah, Aqaba, King Abdullah Port, Salalah, Sohar and Khor Fakkan |
Maersk says shipments containing critical foodstuffs, medicine and perishable goods will receive special attention where possible.
Landbridge routes in operation
Maersk says its available landside solutions include export carrier-haulage landbridge options from Upper Gulf origins — Dammam, Jubail, Bahrain and Kuwait — via Jeddah Port, as well as from Iraq via Aqaba Port.
For imports and inland moves, available routes include:
- Jeddah Port to Riyadh and Dammam
- Khor Fakkan, Fujairah, Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi ports to inland UAE destinations
- Salalah to inland destinations across Oman
- Jeddah Port to Bahrain and Kuwait via Dammam, on a sea-land-sea basis for dry cargo
- Khor Fakkan to the UAE
- Khor Fakkan to Qatar for reefer cargo
- Aqaba to Iraq
However, Maersk says some landside bookings are temporarily paused, including cargo from the UAE and Qatar via Jeddah and Oman ports, cargo from Jeddah Port to the UAE, Oman and Qatar, and cargo from Salalah and Sohar to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
What it is costing shippers
Maersk has also added an Emergency Freight rate for cargo loading from or destined to ports in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia’s Dammam and Jubail, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman, except Salalah. The charge is linked to alternative routing, storage in transit and additional transport arrangements.
| Equipment | Emergency Freight rate |
| 20ft dry container | USD 1,800 |
| 40ft dry container | USD 3,000 |
| Reefer, special and DG container | USD 3,800 |
Maersk says the fee includes transportation from temporary storage to the final destination when it is safe to complete the voyage, although it may be adjusted as the situation changes.
A fluid situation
Maersk said the volatility of the situation meant alternative solutions were needed to bring cargo to its final destination, including alternative routing and storage in transit. The carrier said vessel contingency updates would continue to be communicated to customers on a case-by-case basis.
For shippers, the practical effect is that Gulf cargo may still move, but not necessarily through normal ocean routing or under normal booking conditions. Depending on the destination, cargo type and port, shipments may need to move via Red Sea, Omani, UAE or Jordanian gateways before continuing by road or multimodal landbridge.
Maersk has directed customers to its online tracker for the latest scheduling information, as booking conditions, affected ports and surcharge scope have been subject to frequent revision.
Maersk joins wider shift from ships to trucks
Maersk is not the only logistics operator turning to road and multimodal routes as conflict and security risks disrupt maritime traffic through the Gulf.
Rhenus has opened a new overland corridor via Jordan connecting Europe and Türkiye with Gulf markets. 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 moved through the corridor in less than a month, with estimated transit times of 10-13 days from Türkiye and 19-22 days from Europe.
The Rhenus service supports tautliner trucks carrying up to 24 tonnes and reefer trucks carrying up to 23 tonnes, covering both general and temperature-controlled cargo. The company cited one completed shipment from France to the UAE for oil and gas supply firm FTE, which it said was delivered in 18 days.
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 reportedly grew in stages from 600 to 1,600, then 2,000 and finally around 3,500 vehicles, 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.
