MENA Port Pulse

Fujairah — Reports from late September 2026 indicate that congestion at Fujairah is placing significant strain on land-bridge and overland multimodal logistics networks, which are struggling to meet demand. According to reporting, some carriers have begun diverting cargo to Umm Qasr as an alternative gateway in response to the pressure. These are reports rather than confirmed operational fact, and the situation may be relevant to shippers relying on overland connections through Fujairah.

Jeddah Islamic Port — Saudi Arabia has issued emergency alerts covering Jeddah and surrounding areas following reported Houthi missile and drone strikes targeting the Yanbu area and other parts of western Saudi Arabia, with the Houthis claiming strikes on Aramco facilities. Multiple reports indicate the attacks are threatening the region's oil export operations. These are reports, not established fact, and the situation at Jeddah Islamic Port itself has not been separately characterised in the available accounts.

Khor Fakkan — Reports indicate that congestion at Khor Fakkan is placing significant strain on land-bridge and overland multimodal logistics networks, which are struggling to cope with demand. According to a report first noted in late September 2026, some carriers have begun diverting cargo through Umm Qasr as an alternative gateway. These are reports rather than confirmed operational fact, and shippers with time-sensitive overland movements may wish to verify current conditions directly with their operator.

Red Sea & Bab el-Mandeb — Reports indicate that Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden have been ongoing and escalating since late September, with missile strikes on tankers off Yanbu in August and the Houthi seizure of the Red Sea port city of Mocha on 11 September cited as key recent incidents. The US Maritime Administration has urged US-flagged vessels to switch off AIS, vary routes and speeds, and limit electronic transmissions when transiting these high-risk waters, effective 23 September, while war risk premiums for Saudi-linked tankers are reported to have tripled and tanker transits through Bab el-Mandeb have fallen sharply. Multiple independent reports and a joint statement from a broad coalition of nations further describe the Houthis' advance toward Bab el-Mandeb as a heightened threat to international shipping and global trade.

Sohar — Reports indicate that Saudi Aramco has been conducting a large volume of ship-to-ship crude oil transfers off the coast of Sohar since mid-September, following an attack on the East-West Pipeline on September 13 that halted Red Sea exports from Yanbu. Multiple sources, including a maritime news outlet and a commodity pricing service, report that the surge in STS activity is creating congestion and queuing delays for vessels seeking STS services in the area, with transfers expected to continue through October. Asian crude buyers are said to be among those loading via STS operations near Sohar and Fujairah as a result of the pipeline outage.

Strait of Hormuz — Reports from multiple independent maritime, energy, and news outlets describe the Strait of Hormuz as severely disrupted since the outbreak of a US-Iran war in late February 2026, with vessel transits a small fraction of pre-war levels due to ongoing Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, a US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and Iran's imposition of transit restrictions including a permit system and a blacklist of vessels. Multiple sources report that Iran has conducted dozens of attacks on merchant vessels, including a torpedo strike on the bulk carrier Cape Dao on 23 September that killed at least one seafarer, and a separate cargo vessel hit by an unknown projectile the same week that caught fire and was left adrift with casualties. Around eighty nations have jointly called for the urgent reopening of the strait, while diplomatic talks on a potential US-Iran ceasefire are reported as ongoing but unresolved.

Suez Canal — Reports indicate that Saudi Aramco's East-West pipeline to Yanbu was shut following an attack on 10 September, halting a substantial volume of Saudi crude loadings and prompting redirection of some Saudi exports to Sidi Kerir on Egypt's Mediterranean coast. Argus has reported this independently on multiple occasions, and Dryad Global notes vessels positioning near Port Said and Sidi Kerir in anticipation of Saudi cargoes, though completed loadings and confirmed departures have not yet been reported. Crude loadings from Yanbu are reported to be resuming, but some customers are still awaiting confirmation of when they can load from either terminal.