For most of 2026, cargo bound for ports inside the Gulf has not been able to rely on the Strait of Hormuz. For forwarders and transporters in the GCC, the question stopped being whether to reroute and became how to quote, plan and document a shipment that now arrives somewhere else and finishes its journey by road or rail. This guide is about that practical work, not the politics behind it.
What happened to traffic
Shipping through the strait was disrupted from 28 February 2026, when the conflict began, and Iran announced the strait’s closure on 2 March. UNCTAD reported that ship transits fell from around 130 a day in February to about six in March, a drop of roughly 95%. An interim agreement in mid-June raised the daily average to around 20 vessels, but after the US resumed its blockade of Iranian ports on 14 July, traffic fell back to an average of about five vessels a day between mid-July and late August, according to ship-tracking data reported by Al Jazeera.
Counts vary depending on which vessels are included. Pre-crisis baselines are quoted anywhere from about 100 to 130 ships a day, and through September independent tracking showed single-digit to low-teen daily transits while official figures were sometimes higher. As of the end of September 2026, normal commercial traffic has not resumed and talks over reopening were continuing without a settled outcome. Plan on the basis that the disruption continues, and treat any reopening as an upside rather than a schedule.
Where cargo is going instead
Reuters reported that of 81 container vessels bound for ports inside Hormuz on 28 February, 43 were rerouted to alternative ports. The main options for GCC cargo are:
- UAE east-coast ports such as Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, which sit outside the strait. Cargo is discharged there and trucked to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and onwards.
- Oman’s ports, including Sohar, with an overland leg through the UAE to other GCC destinations.
- Saudi Red Sea ports, including Jeddah, with cargo moving across the Kingdom by road to the Eastern Province, Kuwait and Bahrain.
- Rail, where it exists. In late September 2026 the UAE’s national rail operator launched a container service three times a week between Fujairah and an industrial zone in Abu Dhabi, where containers can be inspected and cleared.
Each of these is slower, more expensive and more limited in capacity than the direct sea route. One analyst quoted by Reuters said trucking from an alternative port to Dubai would probably cost multiple times the ocean freight, and some road rates rose 5–15% on fuel and demand.
Quoting a rerouted shipment
The old quote had one main leg and a local delivery. The new one has at least three: sea to an alternative port, a port-to-inland leg by road or rail, and often a border crossing. Quote each separately so the customer can see where the money goes.
- Sea leg. Ocean freight to the alternative port plus any emergency or war-risk surcharges the carrier applies. These change often; state the date of the rate and how long it holds.
- Port charges at the new port. Terminal handling, storage and any transfer charges at a port the customer may never have used before.
- Land leg. Trucking or rail from the port to the final destination, including the return of the empty container if the carrier requires it.
- Border costs. Customs clearance at the crossing, transit or bond documents, and an allowance for waiting time.
- Validity. Keep validity short. A quote that holds for 30 days in a market that moves weekly is a quote you will lose money on.
Plan the land leg around bans and borders
The overland leg is where most rerouted shipments lose time, and much of the delay is predictable.
Truck ban hours
Cities across the GCC restrict heavy trucks on certain roads at peak hours, and the windows differ from one city and emirate to the next. A truck that leaves a port at the wrong hour can sit outside a city for several hours waiting for a ban to lift. Build ban windows into the planned departure time, not just the distance. CargoSurge’s road trip planning shows GCC road restrictions on a map for exactly this reason, and a free truck-ban checker is available on our site.
Border waits
More cargo on the road means more trucks at the crossings. Reuters reported that inspections of heavier loads were adding to delays. For each crossing on the route, plan for a realistic wait rather than the best case, and make sure the transit or bond documents and the customs declaration are prepared before the truck reaches the border.
Driver hours and equipment
A port-to-destination trip that used to be a short local delivery can now be a long-haul run with a border in the middle. Check driving-hour limits, the right trailer for the container, and whether the container can be detained at the border longer than the carrier’s free time allows.
Tell the customer early
The worst version of a rerouting is the one the customer discovers from a tracking screen. As soon as you know a shipment is heading to an alternative port, tell the customer in writing:
- the new discharge port and the expected arrival date there;
- the planned route and timing for the onward leg;
- the additional costs, item by item, and who you believe pays them;
- any documents that need to change, and what you need from them.
Perishable cargo needs this conversation first. One food shipper told Reuters it could absorb a delay of 15 days but not much more.
Who pays the extra leg
The incoterm is the starting point, but it rarely settles every cost on its own.
- Buyer arranges main carriage (for example FOB or FCA): the extra sea and land costs generally fall to the buyer and their forwarder.
- Seller pays carriage to a named port (for example CFR or CIF): the seller contracted carriage to that port. If the carrier discharges somewhere else, what happens next depends heavily on the carrier’s terms, which commonly allow it to end the voyage at an alternative port and charge onward costs to the cargo.
- Seller delivers to a named place (for example DAP or DDP): the seller has promised delivery to the destination, so the extra leg is usually the seller’s cost unless the contract says otherwise.
Read the bill of lading terms and the sales contract before you invoice anyone, and get the payer’s agreement to the additional charges in writing before the costs are incurred. Disputes over who pays a land leg are much easier to avoid than to resolve after delivery.
Documents change with the route
A shipment that changes port can change its paperwork. Check:
- The bill of lading and the port of discharge it names.
- Customs entry point. Cargo may now enter through a different country or port, which changes where and how it is declared, and may need transit or bonded documents for the overland leg.
- Certificates and permits issued for a specific port or destination. Reuters reported phytosanitary paperwork complications when shipments were rerouted to destinations they had not been prepared for.
- Insurance. Confirm that cover extends to the new route and the land leg, and whether additional premiums apply.
- Your own invoices. Additional charges should be billed as their own lines, with the correct tax treatment for each leg, rather than buried in a revised freight rate.
A working routine
In a disrupted market the advantage goes to the forwarder who has a routine: a short list of alternative ports per destination, current land rates for each port-to-city pair, a realistic transit time including bans and borders, a standard customer notice, and a clear rule on who approves extra costs. None of it requires predicting when the strait will reopen. It only requires treating every Gulf-bound shipment as one that may have to finish its journey by land.
This article is general information as of 29 September 2026 and is not legal, insurance or trade advice. The situation is changing and figures differ between sources. Confirm routes, costs and contractual positions with your carriers, insurers and legal adviser, and check current requirements with the relevant customs authority.