By the end of February 2026, after the United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was immediately under continuous blockade. By the end of April, a total of 34 container ships with over 300,000 TEUs of capacity from the world's top five liner companies were trapped in the Persian Gulf.
In the face of this sudden operational crisis, the shipping companies collectively initiated alternative routes. The traditional "direct crossing of the strait" route was put on hold, and the multimodal transportation model of "shipping + land bridge + branch lines" became the main means to maintain the freight services in the Middle East at present. The following is a detailed analysis of each shipping company's specific plans by Searchship Network.
MSC brand-new route from Europe to the Middle East
On May 2nd, MSC announced that it plans to launch a new route connecting Europe and the Middle East on May 10th.
After the cargo ships pass through the Suez Canal and arrive at Jeddah Port or King Abdullah Port on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, the goods are transported by trucks across the 1,300-kilometer inland area of Saudi Arabia to Dammam Port on the east coast. Finally, they are transferred by small feeder vessels to regions within the Gulf such as Bahrain and Kuwait.
China COSCO Three-Mode Combined Transport Plan
On March 25th, COSCO SHIPPING released a service notice, announcing that it would fully resume the new booking services from Far East to seven countries in the Middle East through a three-mode intermodal transportation solution combining "sea transportation + land bridge + feeder lines".
Update on the situation in the Middle East - Service Notice No. 3 (Correction)
ear Customer,
As of today, through multimodal transport, our company has resumed new booking services for shipping from Far East to Middle East countries (general cargo): United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, and Oman.
The specific transportation plan is as follows (depending on the situation in the Middle East region and available shipping space, and subject to our company's final decision): 1. Local cargo from Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali can be transported via either Juffair or Fuqa'ira ports, using the bonded land bridge method.
2. Cargo from upstream Gulf countries
Can be transported from Juffair or Fuqa'ira via the bonded land bridge to Abu Dhabi CSP, connecting to our own branch network centered on Abu Dhabi CSP, and then transferred to other regions of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq.
3. Cargo from Oman
Can be transported from the new port of Mumbai, India to Muscat, Oman.
The core strategy involves bypassing the strait blockade zone and discharging the goods at offshore ports such as Juffair or Fuqa'ira along the Arabian Gulf coast. Subsequently, they are transported directly to local areas in the United Arab Emirates via a bonded land bridge, or transferred to the company's own hub port (CSP terminal) in Abu Dhabi, and then distributed to upstream Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq through regional feeder networks.
Maersk multimodal transport solutions
In mid-to-late March, Maersk established a dynamic update page for the Middle East region, continuously announcing multimodal transport solutions for the land bridges in the Gulf region, covering multiple directions of imports and exports in the Middle East.
Middle East Export Direction:
Goods originating from upstream cities such as Damman, Jubail, Bahrain, and Kuwait can be transferred through Jeddah Port; goods from Iraq can be transferred through Jordan's Aqaba Port.
Middle East Import Direction:
Carrier towing services are provided from Jeddah Port to Riyadh and Damman; goods can be transported from ports such as Hourfekan, Fuqairah, Jebel Ali, and Abu Dhabi to cover other areas within the United Arab Emirates; goods can be transported from Musandam Port to the interior of Oman.
Land Bridge Solutions:
For multiple routes such as from Jeddah Port to Bahrain and Kuwait, from Hourfekan to the United Arab Emirates, from Aqaba to Iraq, the types of goods include dry goods and frozen goods.
Dafeng's three logistics corridors operate in parallel.
On March 11th, CMA CGM released an official announcement, stating that it would resume its import and export booking services, covering Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It would adopt the multimodal transport model of "sea transportation + land towing", and deployed three main logistics alternative corridors.
The UAE Gateway Corridor: Establishing logistics channels from the three ports of Juffairkan, Fuqairah and Amusah, located outside the strait, to the ports of Al Khafajah, Jeddah and Shagha, and then transporting them via land and sea to the countries along the Persian Gulf.
The Saudi Jeddah Land Bridge Corridor:
Centered on the Jeddah Port on the Red Sea side, it receives goods from Damman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq through road transportation. Goods from the Mediterranean and Asia pass through this channel to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.
The Oman Corridor:
Establishing a land connection to the United Arab Emirates and upstream countries in the Gulf from the Oman Port, providing an alternative channel for regional goods.
Herberroth Two land routes
In mid-March, Hapag-Lloyd announced that it had established two land transportation routes within Saudi Arabia and Oman. Starting from Jeddah Port in Saudi Arabia or ports in Oman, the company transports goods by truck to the Gulf countries on the eastern coast of the peninsula, providing carrier towing services to customers.
Hapag-Lloyd has not yet resumed normal booking services for upstream Gulf countries. In its statement in early April, it stated that due to the unclear situation, the company will continue to avoid using this strait and closely monitor the progress of diplomatic negotiations among all parties.
The shipping industry is undergoing a transformation from "prioritizing efficiency" to "prioritizing safety".
By analyzing the response measures of the five major shipping companies, it can be seen that the traditional "direct voyage + crossing the strait" model has been divided into a three-stage temporary plan of "outer bay shipping + land corridor + inner bay branch lines".
This unconventional mode of transshipment, detour and multiple loading and unloading inevitably raises the overall logistics cost and prolongs the transportation cycle.
Facing the blockade crisis that is difficult to be resolved in the short term, the shipping giants have launched these multimodal transport systems, indicating that the entire industry has prepared for a long-term logistics battle in the Middle East market.
Please note to all shippers and freight forwarders: Keep track of the price trends of each shipping route. Before shipping, please check the latest shipping schedules and price information and make a detailed shipping plan in advance.