Market update
Jebel Ali is running well below capacity while transits through the Strait of Hormuz stay disrupted — so UAE-routed shippers are planning around Fujairah and the east coast, and the country's port map is shifting with them.
Published · Midtrans Shipping And Services
Reviewed by Khaldoun Al-Khouli, General Manager
How the Hormuz disruption and the Abu Dhabi shift change your routing.
374,000 TEU in Q2 2026 as Hormuz transits fell (Semafor).
DP World keeps Jebel Ali on a 48-hour footing to resume (company official).
AD Ports goes fully private at Dh6.25/share; settlement due 9 Oct 2026.
Fujairah and east-coast routing, longer transits, elevated rates.
Jebel Ali
Jebel Ali, the Gulf's largest container port, handled 374,000 TEU in the second quarter of 2026 — down about 90% year-on-year — as container transits through the Strait of Hormuz fell from roughly 90 a day to a handful since late February, a fall Semafor reports as a closure of the strait (2 September 2026).
Readiness
DP World is reported to be spending around USD 100 million a month to keep Jebel Ali on a 48-hour readiness footing so it can resume full operations quickly — a figure attributed to a company official (Semafor, 2 September 2026).
Need UAE routing options while Jebel Ali runs light? MIDTRANS will map them for your shipment.
Abu Dhabi
At the same time, ownership of the main Abu Dhabi gateway is consolidating. ADQ's vehicle L'imad has cleared the conditions to take AD Ports Group — operator of Khalifa Port and around 40 UAE terminals — fully private at Dh6.25 per share, with settlement due by 9 October 2026, as reported by The National and Gulf News (8 September 2026).
What it means
For a UAE-routed shipment today, the working plan is to route around Jebel Ali's reduced Hormuz access — expect diversion via Fujairah and the east-coast gateways, longer transits, and elevated Gulf freight rates. As Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port consolidates under single ownership, it becomes a more prominent alternative for cargo that would once have defaulted to Jebel Ali.
MIDTRANS
MIDTRANS SHIPPING AND SERVICES plans the sea leg, corridor routing and customs clearance around these constraints rather than against them — choosing the gateway, lane and schedule that fit each shipment. If you're moving cargo into or through the UAE, we'll map the current options for your route.
FAQ
Container transits through Hormuz have fallen sharply — from roughly 90 a day to a handful since late February, a fall Semafor reports as a closure of the strait (2 September 2026). Treat the routing as disrupted and plan alternatives; the day-to-day picture can change.
Jebel Ali handled 374,000 TEU in Q2 2026, about 90% below a year earlier (Semafor), and stays on a 48-hour readiness footing. For now many UAE shipments route via Fujairah and the east coast — MIDTRANS will advise the best gateway for your cargo.
AD Ports Group — operator of Khalifa Port and around 40 UAE terminals — is going fully private at Dh6.25 per share, with settlement due by 9 October 2026 (The National, Gulf News). That points to Khalifa Port as a growing alternative gateway.
DP World is reported to be spending around USD 100 million a month to keep Jebel Ali on a 48-hour readiness footing so it can resume full operations quickly, a figure attributed to a company official by Semafor on 2 September 2026.
Diversion via Fujairah and the east-coast gateways, longer transits and elevated Gulf freight rates, for as long as Jebel Ali's access through Hormuz stays reduced.
From its Dubai head office, MIDTRANS plans the sea leg, corridor routing and customs clearance around the current constraints, choosing the gateway, lane and schedule that fit each shipment, including Fujairah, the east-coast ports and Khalifa Port.
Tell us your route and cargo — MIDTRANS will map the current gateway, lane and customs options around the Hormuz disruption.
International Shipping & Customs Assistant
