The political conflict between Iran and the United States has rapidly intensified since it started on Saturday, 28 February.
Military actions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered significant disruptions across key Middle East maritime corridors.
As a result, leading container lines have stopped sailing through the Strait and diverted vessels away from the Suez Canal as a security measure.
This report presents an overview of the current situation as of the report's publication date.
Carriers' response to the situation so far
- MSC has suspended all bookings for worldwide cargo to the Middle East until further notice. The line has directed all vessels operating in or bound for the Gulf to proceed to designated safe shelter areas and is monitoring developments with authorities.
- CMA CGM has instructed all vessels inside or bound for the Gulf to proceed to shelter, suspended Suez Canal transits with rerouting via the Cape of Good Hope, and stopped all reefer bookings to/from Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Qatar, Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt (Ain Sokhna), Djibouti, Sudan and Eritrea.
- Hapag-Lloyd is suspending all transits through the Strait of Hormuz following an official closure by relevant authorities, noting potential delays, rerouting and schedule changes for Arabian Gulf port calls.
- ONE is temporarily suspending acceptance of new bookings to and from the Persian Gulf, with voyage-by-voyage assessments for cargo in transit or planned shipments.
- COSCO has halted container vessel transits through the strait on safety grounds.
- War risk surcharges are being applied by multiple lines on Middle East cargo
Latest situation at impacted ports
On 28 February, ports in Dubai, Oman and Bahrain halted activities following a series of aerial attacks, including an incident at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port where debris from an aerial interception caused a fire at one of the berths.
By 1 March, operating conditions varied across the region: some ports continued functioning without any formal rise in security alert levels, while others faced temporary shutdowns or partial suspensions.
As of today, 2 March, the port of Bahrain remains closed while other ports in the region are operating with expected disruption.
Situation of vessels in the Persian Gulf
According to a Lloyd's List report, at least 15 container ships have reversed course when approaching or leaving Hormuz, with many either halted or diverted.
Overall traffic through Hormuz fell by 38% on Saturday, with 72 cargo vessels above 10,000 dwt.
Reports show that commercial ships near Hormuz have been struck by Iranian forces since the conflict began. In addition, Houthi forces in Yemen have reportedly decided to resume attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Consequently, vessels have been asked to seek shelter, though no dedicated zone is identified.
Seaexplorer data shows over 100 container ships are currently in the Persian Gulf, either berthed at a port or waiting in a shelter area. A list of the vessels known so far to be inside the Gulf area and potentially impacted by the situation is available through this link.
Some of the larger vessels include
- CMA CGM Everglade – 15,254 TEU – outside Doha
- MSC Grace – 16,000 TEU – outside Jebel Ali
- MSC Francesca – 11,660 TEU – outside Doha
Potential impact on nearby ports
Commenting on the development on his LinkedIn page, shipping analyst Lars Jensen noted that major container vessels carrying cargo bound for Gulf destinations may begin offloading this cargo in Salalah, Khor Fakkan, Sohar, Duqm and Colombo.
Jensen expects onward movement handled by smaller vessels prepared to transit the affected areas.
He stated that such a shift would generate congestion at these ports and could later extend to wider Asian hubs if carriers stop loading cargo for the Gulf due to uncertainty over final delivery.
According to Jensen, this scenario risks turning Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas and Port Klang into transhipment bottlenecks for cargo that would ordinarily move directly to the Gulf.
Kuehne+Nagel is monitoring the situation closely and will report updates accordingly. More information is available in our latest advisory and on our seaexplorer alert map.
