Latest developments across the region
The situation in the region is largely unchanged. Over 130 ships remain locked in the Persian Gulf. According to Lloyd’s List, about nine vessels, mostly tankers and one container ship, were impacted by attacks in the Gulf. Shipping companies continue to avoid transits through the Strait, adjusting sailings accordingly and applying contingency plans and emergency surcharges.
This update consolidates the latest carrier advisories, port conditions, and vessel intelligence as of 6 March 2026. Earlier updates can be found through this link.
Carrier updated response
Maersk: The carrier announced suspension of some of its services and updated their booking strategy for the region:
Service Suspensions
Booking adjustments by Maersk
- Suspension of all reefer bookings to/from: UAE, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
- Dangerous Goods: Suspension of DG bookings to/from: UAE, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Additional DG restrictions apply for Israel (specific UN numbers only).
- Dry Cargo: Suspension of all dry cargo bookings to/from: UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (Dammam & Al Jubail), Oman (Sohar), and Bahrain.
- Exceptions: Shipments containing critical foodstuffs, medicine, and perishables will receive special handling and priority.
Bookings remain open to/from: Saudi Arabia (Jeddah and King Abdullah Port), Jordan, Oman (Salalah), Lebanon, Israel.
Hapag-Lloyd is implementing Contingency procedures activated for all shipments already in transit to/from: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman (excluding Salalah), and Yemen.
Service Adjustments
- Suspension of AGX and IMX services.
- Suspension of Jebel Ali (AEJEA) port call on the IOS service.
- Introduction of the new SE4 service designed to maintain operational reliability under current conditions. SE4 Service Rotation: Tianjin Xingang → Qingdao → Busan → Ningbo → Shanghai → Tanjung Pelepas → West Med Hub → East Med Hub → Jeddah → East Med Hub → West Med Hub → Singapore → Tianjin Xingang
Situation at impacted ports
Port operations across the region remain largely stable despite the ongoing volatility. Bahrain remains the notable exception, with its port still closed.
Vessel situation and risks
There are currently no changes to vessel conditions or positioning reported at this time. An updated list of potentially affected vessels in the Persian Gulf can be found here.
Kuehne+Nagel continues to monitor the situation closely with timely updates on SeaNews and the Kuehne+Nagel page Middle East situation - Kuehne+Nagel operations | Kuehne+Nagel.
For the latest port and vessel statuses or situation updates, please refer to the seaexplorer alert map.
