The escalation of the conflict around Iran during March 2026 is causing one of the biggest logistical disruptions in the Middle East in recent years. The operational closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy and trade corridors, is forcing the shipping industry to reorganize routes, suspend services and seek alternative logistics solutions.
The impact is already spilling over into global supply chains, affecting shipping, container availability, logistics costs and the planning of imports and exports to the region.
Suspension of maritime bookings to the Gulf
In recent days, several major international shipping lines have suspended new cargo bookings to the Persian Gulf, creating a de facto logistical blockade to some of the region’s main markets.
Among the destinations affected by the suspension of bookings are:
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
🇰🇼 Kuwait
🇶🇦 Qatar
🇧🇭 Bahrain
🇮🇶 Iraq
This situation directly affects key logistics hubs such as Jebel Ali, Khalifa Port and Dammam, which traditionally act as the main maritime gateways to the Gulf.
At the same time, dozens of container ships are being held or anchored in secure areas outside the Gulf of Oman awaiting further operational instructions.
Congestion at alternative ports
Faced with restrictions to operate in certain Gulf ports, shipping lines are diverting part of the cargo to the Gulf of Mexico. alternative hubs in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.
Among the main ports used as alternative discharge points are:
⚓ Salalah (Oman).
⚓ Sohar (Oman).
⚓Khor Al Fakkan (UAE)
⚓ Colombo (Sri Lanka)
These ports are beginning to absorb unanticipated cargo volumes, which could lead to port congestion in the coming weeks.
In addition, many operations are resorting to unloading at intermediate hubs, from where the goods can continue their route via feeder services or overland transport.
Jeddah and King Abdullah Port: new logistical gateway to the Gulf
While maritime traffic to the Persian Gulf remains limited, Saudi ports on the Red Sea are establishing themselves as one of the main logistical alternatives for accessing the region.
In particular, Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdullah Port (KAP) are receiving an increasing volume of cargo originally destined for the Gulf.
Several shipping lines continue to accept bookings to these ports, from where the cargo can continue its route to the east of the Arabian Peninsula by land transport.
This logistic model combines:
🚢 s ea transport to the Red Sea
🚚 transportation by road or rail to the Gulf
This intermodal scheme is consolidating as one of the main temporary logistics solutions while uncertainty persists in the Strait of Hormuz.
Risk of congestion in the Red Sea and land transport
The increasing use of Red Sea ports is generating a funnel effect in the region, as these infrastructures are not sized to absorb all the traffic traditionally channeled through the Gulf.
The main logistical risks include:
🚢 increased waiting times at port terminals
📦 saturation of container yards and terminals.
🚚 shortage of road transport capacity.
💰 increase in overland logistics costs.
As a result, intermodal transportation from Saudi Arabia to Gulf markets could experience significant rate increases in the coming weeks.
Increased logistics costs and container shortages
The crisis is also generating a direct economic impact on international transportation.
Among the factors driving cost increases are:
⛽ increased fuel costs due to route deviations
⚠️ application of War Risk Surcharge (War Risk Surcharge)
📈 Extraordinary surcharges associated with the regional conflict
At the same time, the sector is starting to experience a shortage of empty containers, caused by two main factors:
📦 equipment blocked in Gulf ports
🌍 longer sea voyage times when rounding Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.
This reduces global container turnover and may affect equipment availability in different regions of the world.
Impact on marine insurance
Another critical factor is the tightening of insurance conditions.
Several marine insurers and P&I clubs have begun suspending automatic war risk coverages for vessels operating in certain areas of the Gulf.
In many cases, each transit must be negotiated individually with insurers, which increases the operational cost and adds uncertainty to the planning of maritime routes.
Impact on air cargo
The conflict is also affecting international air transport.
Airspace restrictions in several countries in the region are forcing changes to routes between Europe and Asia, reducing available capacity and driving up air freight rates.
This price increase is particularly visible in time-sensitive goods such as electronic components, pharmaceuticals and industrial spare parts.
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What importers and exporters should be aware of
In this scenario of high uncertainty, companies operating in international trade must pay special attention to several key logistics factors.
Among them are:
📍 availability of sea routes to the Gulf.
📦 use of alternative ports
🚚 land transportation planning from alternative hubs.
💰 evolution of surcharges and logistic costs
📊 inventory management and transit times.
In this context, the ability to monitor routes, evaluate logistics alternatives and adapt supply chains is key to minimizing the impact of these disruptions on international operations.
How Across Logistics can help in this situation
In today’s disruptive logistics scenarios, visibility into routes, ports and transportation alternatives is critical to maintaining supply chain continuity.
At Across Logistics we work daily with importing and exporting companies to analyze the evolution of international routes and evaluate logistics solutions adapted to each operation.
This includes the identification of alternative ports, intermodal options and more stable transport routes when instability occurs in certain trade corridors.
