Operational update
Middle East
This page is updated as new information becomes available. The rolling update log at the bottom contains the most recent entries.
OVERVIEW
Following the military escalation between the US, Israel, and Iran on 28 February–1 March 2026, transport operations across the Middle East have been significantly disrupted. The situation remains dynamic. This page will be updated as new information becomes available.
Your Forto contact will reach out directly if your specific shipment is affected.
For immediate queries, contact us here:
https://forto.com/en/contact-us
General Update – Mar 16th, 2026
As the Hormuz Crisis enters its third week, the disruption to global logistics networks has intensified, marked by increasing commercial vessel attacks, airspace restrictions, and operational adjustments by carriers and airlines. Our focus remains on maintaining service reliability and clear communication through this challenging period.
Current Situation & Operational Impact
The conflict’s immediate impact is concentrated on vessel safety, transit limitations, and regional airspace restrictions.
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Attacks have broadened, including recent confirmed strikes on oil tankers and a container vessel near key regional ports. This brings the total number of cargo vessels attacked since the start of the conflict (late February) to over a dozen.
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The Strait remains non-operational for the vast majority of commercial container traffic, with no recent transits. The region is currently facing a significant shipping crisis, with 147 container vessels trapped and unable to complete their routes. This bottleneck has locked 450,000 TEU of capacity out of circulation, causing severe delays that are destabilizing global shipping schedules. We are actively monitoring the security landscape.
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Air cargo operations across the Arabian Gulf and surrounding airspace are also affected. Several airlines have adjusted flight paths, suspended services to certain destinations, or implemented operational restrictions. This has resulted in longer routings, capacity constraints, and increased operational complexity for shipments moving via major Middle East hubs.
Carrier & Airline Actions and Financial Landscape
Transport providers across both ocean and air sectors are adjusting operations, which inevitably impacts the financial structure of services.
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Vessels caught in the area are inactive, leading to expected revenue losses for carriers and substantial knock-on delays that affect global network schedules. In air freight, airlines are adjusting schedules and rerouting flights to avoid affected airspace, further impacting transit times and available cargo capacity.
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Rising fuel prices, longer sailing distances, and anticipated congestion in critical shipping hubs due to rerouting are driving an unavoidable increase in carrier operating costs. Extended flight paths and continued volatility in aviation fuel markets are similarly increasing operational costs for airlines.
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In response to elevated costs and operational risks, both ocean carriers and airlines are implementing emergency surcharges and rate adjustments, which may be passed on to customers depending on market developments. In air freight and intermodal transport, pricing adjustments have already been implemented where applicable to reflect current market conditions. Further adjustments may become necessary as the situation evolves and will be communicated accordingly across all transport modes.
Market Implications and Outlook
The long-term effects of the Strait’s closure and regional instability are expected to influence both sea and air freight markets.
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Key crude oil benchmarks have shown continued volatility, with prices recently firming. Global marine fuel and aviation fuel costs have increased accordingly, reflecting the disruption across energy supply chains.
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The persistent closure of the SOH is projected to lead to severe congestion and complex disruptions across global supply chains. As ocean transit times increase and reliability declines, a modal shift from sea to air freight is expected for time-sensitive cargo. This shift may further tighten available air freight capacity on major trade lanes, particularly the Asia–Europe corridor.
SEA
LOGISTICS
Last updated: 16 March 2026, 11:00 AM
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Following the military escalation between the US, Israel, and Iran on 28 February–1 March 2026, sea operations across the Middle East have been significantly disrupted. The situation remains fluid. This page will be updated as new information becomes available.
For the majority of Asia-Europe container shipments, the operational picture has not materially changed: Cape of Good Hope routing has been the standard since January 2024, and transit times on those lanes remain as they have been. What has changed is that Gulf-origin and Gulf-destination cargo is now directly affected by the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Country Seaports Overall UAE Jebel Ali, Hamriya, Sharjah: all fully operational. Khor Fakkan: open, full capacity. Fujairah: port operations normal; GPS signal spoofing and jamming reported offshore — mariners advised to treat area as high risk. Ruwais: operating at ISPS Security Level 2. ✓ Operational Saudi Arabia Red Sea ports (Jeddah, King Abdullah): operating normally under ISPS Level 1. Eastern Province: all ports (Dammam, Jubail, Ras Al Khair, Ras Tanura) accepting domestic calls only — international commercial calls suspended. ⚠ Partial Qatar Hamad Port and Doha Port: operational; activity levels lower than pre-conflict. Mesaieed and Ras Laffan: operational; GPS degradation advisory in effect. Al Ruwais: restricted to small craft only. Al Shaheen Terminal and Halul Island Terminal: suspended until further notice. Qatar Ministry of Transport alternative routing for Hamad Port cargo: first alternative — Sohar, Salalah, Duqm; second alternative — Fujairah, Khor Fakkan. ⚠ Partial Kuwait Shuwaikh: fully operational; container operations normal. Shuaiba: partially resumed. All container vessels bound for Shuaiba currently redirected to Shuwaikh (max draft 9.6m). Both ports under ISPS Security Level 2. ✓ Operational Bahrain Khalifa Bin Salman Port (APM Terminal): operations resumed; vessel movements ongoing but limited due to restricted pilot availability. Sitrah: operational for emergency movements only. Bahrain Steel: not operating. ISPS Level 1. ⚠ Partial Iraq Umm Qasr and Khor Al Zubair: fully operational; all container berths functioning normally. Container and general cargo operations unaffected. ✓ Operational Oman Sohar, Mina Al Fahal, Port Sultan Qaboos, Duqm: all operating normally; serving as key alternative hubs for rerouted Gulf-bound cargo. Salalah: Container Terminal and General Cargo Terminal suspended following drone strikes on 11 March — only bunkering at anchorage has resumed. Updates on CT/GCT resumption pending. ⚠ Partial Jordan Ports operating normally. ✓ Operational Iran Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to commercial traffic. 🔴 Disrupted Egypt Ain Sokhna: CMA CGM bookings suspended. All other ports normal. ⚠ Partial -
Red Sea and Suez Canal
Cape of Good Hope routing continues as the operational baseline for all Asia-Europe services. For customers on these lanes: no change to current transit times.Strait of Hormuz
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply since 1 March 2026. While no formal legal closure has been declared, IRGC radio warnings confirmed by UKMTO and EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, active kinetic incidents, and individual carrier decisions have led most vessels to avoid transit.This primarily affects cargo originating from or destined for Gulf countries — UAE, Saudi Arabia (Eastern Province), Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Oman. For the majority of container shipments on Asia-Europe lanes that do not touch Gulf ports, the Hormuz situation does not affect routing.
AIR
LOGISTICS
Last updated: 20 March 2026, 17:30 AM
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Following the military escalation between the US, Israel, and Iran from 28th February 2026, Air Freight operations across the Middle East have been significantly disrupted. Several countries in the region have implemented temporary airspace closures or restrictions, leading to widespread flight cancellations and operational adjustments by airlines.
The largest impact is the reduced availability of cargo capacity via key Gulf hub airports, particularly Dubai (DXB/DWC), Doha (DOH), and Abu Dhabi (AUH). These hubs normally serve as major transit points for Air Freight moving between Asia, Europe, and Africa. While some airports and airlines continue operating with adjusted routings, many carriers have suspended or reduced services to the region, resulting in limited uplift capacity and longer transit times.
Air Freight flows between Asia and Europe remain operational, with airlines increasingly relying on direct long-haul flights or alternative hubs such as Istanbul. However, customers may experience temporary capacity constraints, schedule changes, and rate volatility while the situation evolves.
Your Forto contact will reach out directly if your specific shipment is affected. For immediate queries, contact us here: [email protected]
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Air Freight across Iran / Middle East remains structurally disrupted, with minor operational stabilization observed since the weekend.
What we are seeing now is that the market is beginning to adapt operationally to the constraints, rather than being driven by daily shocks.Airspace & Network Reality
Iran remains fully closed and non-operational, which continues to be the single biggest structural constraint. This removes the most efficient East–West routing option and forces all traffic into longer alternatives.Airlines have now largely accepted that the southern corridor (Egypt → Saudi → Oman) is the new standard routing. At the same time, the northern corridor via Turkey and the Caucasus has become the second backbone.
The key change since the last update
- Less ad-hoc rerouting
- More planned, pre-defined routing structures
- Fewer last-minute diversions, but still occurring
Operational Stability
The UAE remains the main volatility trigger, but:- Full shutdowns decreased
- Replaced by intermittent disruptions and slot instability
Saudi Arabia and Oman have stepped up significantly:
- Jeddah evolving into a structured Sea-Air gateway
- Muscat now a stable transit hub, not just contingency
Capacity Situation
Capacity has not recovered, but stabilized at a low level:- Airlines are now operating with reduced but predictable networks
- Effective capacity still limited due to longer routings and airspace constraints
Market Behaviour
The market has clearly transitioned:- From shock-driven pricing → structured surcharge environment
- From opportunistic routing → solution-based logistics planning
Rates
Rates remain elevated, but the nature has changed. Instead of daily spikes, we now see:
Structured surcharges (fuel, war risk, ERS)
More stable, but consistently high pricing levelsReliability
There is a slight improvement in planning reliability. However:
Networks remain fragile
Disruptions still occur, just less randomlyRisk
Risk profile remains unchanged:
UAE still key trigger point
Insurance and compliance restrictions remain critical
LOI requirement still essential for certain flows -
Country Airports Overall Azerbaijan Baku (GYD): cargo flights operating with rerouting via Caucasus corridor ✓ Operational Bahrain Bahrain International Airport (BAH): cargo operations partially suspended ⚠ Partial Egypt Cairo International Airport (CAI): operating normally and increasingly used as an alternative cargo gateway. ✓ Operational Iraq Baghdad (BGW) and Erbil (EBL): partially open again ⚠ Partial Israel Ben Gurion Airport (TLV): heavily restricted operations for military airplanes only 🔴 Disrupted Jordan Queen Alia International Airport (AMM): reduced flight activity ⚠ Partial Kuwait Kuwait International Airport (KWI): airport closed following security incident; operations suspended 🔴 Disrupted Lebanon Beirut (BEY): airspace closed 🔴 Disrupted Oman Muscat (MCT): operational and used for rerouted cargo ✓ Operational Qatar Hamad International Airport (DOH): Partially reopened for limited/repatriation flights only ⚠ Partial Saudi Arabia Riyadh (RUH) and Jeddah (JED): operating with adjusted routings JED becoming the new Sea/Air solution
Operational with rerouting; congestion building; key transit alternative
⚠ Partial Syria Damascus (DAM) and Aleppo (ALP): largely suspended No commercial cargo operations; airspace high risk
🔴 Disrupted
Turkey Istanbul Airport (IST): fully functional; major rerouting hub; high capacity utilization ✓ Operational UAE Dubai (DXB/DWC) and Abu Dhabi (AUH): Partially open; intermittent disruptions, improved vs weekend ⚠ Partial -
Airline Operations Overall Cargolux Middle East bookings remain limited, with selective flows and rerouting via alternative corridors ⚠ Partial Cargo Airlines (CAL – 5C / X7) Selective cargo operations Selective acceptance; avoiding Gulf airspace; ad-hoc charter flexibility ⚠ Partial DHL Aviation Network stable but extended routings via Saudi/Oman; delays on ME-bound cargo ⚠ Partial EL AL Cargo Operations suspended 🔴 Disrupted Emirates SkyCargo Frequent diversions/turnbacks; partial ops resumed but unstable ⚠ Partial Etihad Cargo Limited schedule; ongoing disruptions and rerouting ⚠ Partial flydubai Cargo Limited narrowbody capacity; reduced regional frequencies; prioritizing essential cargo ⚠ Partial Gulf Air Cargo BAH operating with restrictions; reliance on Saudi overflight; limited network reach ⚠ Partial Kuwait Airways Cargo Suspended due to airspace closure 🔴 Disrupted Lufthansa Cargo Middle East services reduced and rerouted, Multiple Middle East cargo stations remain suspended or embargoed Avoiding region; rerouting long-haul flows
⚠ Partial Oman Air Cargo Operating; benefiting from rerouting flows ✓ Operational Qatar Airways Cargo Limited operations; hub access restricted to special/approved flights 🔴 Disrupted Saudia Cargo Operating with rerouting via safe corridors; delays and congestion at RUH/JED ⚠ Partial Silk Way West Airlines Freighter operations via Caucasus corridor, selective regional operations ⚠ Partial Turkish Airlines Cargo Fully operational; major bypass hub ✓ Operational -
Corridor Capacity vs Normal Asia → Europe ~65% Europe → Asia ~70% Middle East Transit Capacity ~40-45% Capacity is not increasing, but is now more consistently available within known constraints.
Gulf–Europe belly capacity recovery
Date Capacity vs Normal 28 Feb 100% baseline 03 Mar ~55% 05 Mar ~62% 07 Mar ~70% 09 Mar ~76% 11 Mar ~55% 13 Mar ~45% 18 Mar ~50-55% Latest ~45% No meaningful recovery.
Still structurally limited due to:
- Airline avoidance
- Security concerns
- Reduced passenger operations
Asia–Europe freighter load factor pressure
Trade Lane Load Factor Trend Asia → Europe 90–95% Increasing Europe → Asia 75–85% Stable Load factor situation confirms: Persistent tight space environment & airlines continue to prioritize yield over volume.
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Over the weekend we saw a slight correction in fuel prices after last week’s spike, however this should not be misunderstood as a relaxation of the situation.
While prices came down from peak levels, they remain at a structurally high level and, more importantly, the underlying risk has not changed.
From a market perspective, we are now moving away from a short-term shock scenario into a more stable but still elevated environment. Airlines have already adjusted to this by implementing consistent fuel and risk surcharges, which are expected to remain in place.
At the same time, the key risk going forward is no longer just price volatility, but the increasing likelihood of fuel availability constraints. If the situation around Hormuz deteriorates further, we could see regional imbalances in jet fuel supply, which would directly impact operations.
This would not only affect costs, but also:
- reduce effective capacity
- impact payload due to higher fuel requirements
- further extend transit times
From a commercial perspective, this reinforces that the current rate level is justified and likely to remain stable at a high level. It also underlines the importance of early planning and flexible routing, as the situation can tighten further at short notice
ROLLING UPDATE LOG
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Forto is updating its booking policy for the Middle East region, effective 20 March 2026.
Arabian Gulf: Sea freight bookings remain suspended. Major shipping lines continue to hold bookings to the Arabian Gulf as the Strait of Hormuz remains de facto closed to commercial container traffic. We are unable to accept new sea freight shipments to this area until carrier services resume and will communicate proactively when this changes. Air freight to select destinations may be available on a case-by-case basis.
Other Middle East destinations: Forto is now reviewing booking requests on a case-by-case basis, subject to carrier acceptance for the specific route. The situation remains dynamic and each request will be individually assessed by our operations team, taking into account the latest security and operational conditions for the specific origin, destination, and transport mode.
To discuss a shipment to the Middle East, please contact your Forto representative or reach us at forto.com/en/contact-us
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Bahrain — APM Terminals has resumed operations at Khalifa Bin Salman Port; vessel movements ongoing but limited due to restricted pilot availability. ISPS Level 1. Qatar — Hamad Port, Doha Port, Al Ruwais Port operational but activity levels lower than pre-conflict; Al Ruwais restricted to small craft only; Mesaieed and Ras Laffan ongoing; Al Shaheen Terminal and Halul Island Terminal suspended until further notice. Jordan — all operations normal at Aqaba Port. Egypt — all ports and Suez Canal operating without disruption.
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Confirmation of Port of Salalah CT and GCT resuming operations as of 16 March — liquid cargo operations still suspended. Duqm operational with DG restrictions in place for all calling vessels. Salalah resumption is significant — the port had been suspended since drone strikes on 11 March. As the only major transshipment hub in the western Indian Ocean outside both chokepoint risk zones, Salalah resuming container operations is a material development for shippers with Gulf-bound cargo.
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Strait of Hormuz commercial container traffic remains at a standstill — 16 days since de facto closure. Salalah, Khor Fakkan, Sohar, and Jeddah confirmed as the four primary alternative gateway ports for Gulf-bound cargo.
Qatar’s Ministry of Transport advises that shipping lines may route raw materials and consumer goods destined for Hamad Port via designated alternative ports: first alternative — Sohar and Duqm; second alternative — Fujairah and Khor Fakkan. This is the first official alternative routing guidance issued by a Gulf government authority — material for shippers with Qatar-bound cargo.
Salalah remains suspended following drone strikes earlier in the week — only bunkering operations at anchorage have resumed.
Suez Canal and all Egyptian ports remain fully operational at ISPS Level 1.
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Forto suspends all new Sea Freight and Air Freight bookings to the Arabian Gulf, effective immediately.
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Inchcape port advisory (16:30 UAE): Fujairah fire incidents at adjacent oil zone confirmed contained; port operating normally. GPS jamming and signal spoofing reported offshore Fujairah. Port of Mesaieed (Qatar): mandatory night pilotage in effect due to GPS signal degradation. Kuwait — all ports suspended; vessels evacuating to anchorage. Bahrain Khalifa Bin Salman Port: suspended.
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Jebel Ali (DP World): all four terminals confirmed fully operational following precautionary closure on 1 March. Khor Fakkan confirmed open and operating at full capacity.
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All major ocean carriers confirm Hormuz suspension. MSC suspends all Middle East bookings. Maersk suspends reefer, DG, and special cargo to Gulf countries; India ↔ Upper Gulf bookings suspended. COSCO instructs Gulf-area vessels to safe waters. HMM, OOCL, ONE, Evergreen confirm Middle East booking suspensions.
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US-Israel strikes on Iran confirmed 28 February–1 March. IRGC broadcasts Hormuz closure warnings via VHF; confirmed by UKMTO and EUNAVFOR ASPIDES. Brent crude +8.8% to $79.30/bbl. DP World implements precautionary suspension at Jebel Ali — subsequently reopened same day. Linerlytica co-founder Hua Joo Tan (Lloyd’s List Intelligence): approximately 170 containerships / 450,000 TEU inside the Gulf facing movement restrictions.