In the early hours of 2 March, shipping analytics firm Alphaliner reported 138 container ships stranded in the Persian Gulf, representing a combined capacity of nearly 470,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
Container shipping in the Middle East has entered a period of severe disruption following large-scale air strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran. Tehran’s retaliatory attacks, including strikes targeting infrastructure in neighboring Gulf countries, have raised serious security concerns for maritime navigation in the region. As a result, the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait are currently considered unsafe for shipping, prompting major liner operators to halt vessel transits.
Maritime data from Clarksons Research shows that over 3,000 ships are currently anchored in Persian Gulf ports, awaiting passage through the Strait of Hormuz. This accounts for roughly 4% of the world’s total shipping tonnage being inactive in the region.
Among the most affected carriers are MSC and CMA CGM, with fifteen vessels totaling 109,000 TEU and fourteen vessels totaling 70,000 TEU, respectively, seeking refuge.
Credit: Alphaliner
Significant vessels caught in the Gulf include MSC CLARA, a 19,224 TEU ‘megamax’ ship of the Italo-Swiss line, and two COSCO SHIPPING vessels of 18,980 TEU each, alongside three feeder vessels, representing the bulk of COSCO’s tonnage in the region.
Outside the immediate danger zone, 26 container ships were still reporting destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Jebel Ali, and Umm Said, although shipping lines are expected to reroute these vessels following official advisories.
Despite at least one fire triggered by aerial strikes at Jebel Ali port, the facility remains a primary refuge, with twenty vessels currently moored alongside. DP World, which operates the port, announced plans to resume commercial operations on Monday.
If the Strait of Hormuz continues to pose navigational hazards, ports on the Arabian Peninsula’s periphery may emerge as alternative container gateways. However, recent Iranian drone attacks on the port of Duqm in Oman suggest that even external ports are not immune to threats.
Salalah port in Oman, with an annual container capacity of six million TEU, and the smaller UAE port of Khor Fakkan, are expected to see increased activity. Ad hoc calls for large vessels such as the 14,074 TEU CSCL STAR and the 14,036 TEU MSC ALEXANDRA, which normally sail directly into the Gulf, are scheduled over the coming days.