Gulf anchorages hold 265 waiting bulkers, 75% above last year

Market Context & Direct Impact

Dry bulk queues off the Gulf are still running far above last year. Signal Ocean recorded 265 dry bulk vessels waiting at 29 selected Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman ports as of 28 October 2026, with Fujairah at 74 and Sohar at 50. The firm puts regional waiting 75% above the level of last year. The regional waiting series averaged 268 vessels from 1 to 27 October 2026, against 154 in the same period of 2025 and 139 in 2024. Lloyd's List reports that Fujairah and Sohar account for 47% of the 265 ships waiting, using Signal Ocean data.

The queue has eased from its September peak, but it has not returned to normal. The regional count peaked at 291 vessels on 15 September 2026 and was 254 on 27 October. Fujairah's daily waiting count stayed largely below 40 vessels through the first half of 2026, then reached roughly 80–95 in September and October before easing to 74 by 28 October. Signal Ocean says geared tonnage outside the Strait of Hormuz could face persistent operational constraints for as long as these ships remain idle. Africa's pressure sits in container shipping rather than bulk. Xeneta data put average vessel waits in Africa at 2.5 days in September 2026, down by almost a day, leaving it the most congested region.

Core Executive Takeaways

• Smaller tonnage tighteningSupramaxes make up half of Fujairah's queue, 37 of its 74 waiting vessels on 28 October, which suggests Supramax-dependent shippers out of the Gulf will feel the wait first.
• Eased, not clearedFujairah's 74 ships on 28 October sit below the September-October band but still well above its first-half level.
• Africa's container pinchAverage vessel waits in Africa have fallen, yet the region still ranks as the most congested for container ships, so schedule buffers stay necessary.

Strategic Playbook

1. 1
   Map Gulf bulk exposure

   Pull every bulk and Supramax booking loading at Fujairah or Sohar, and ask suppliers for their waiting-time assumptions before confirming laycans.

2. 2
   Price African waits into tenders

   Ask ocean carriers for berth-wait and reliability data on Africa-bound services, and write those terms into your upcoming tender scope.

Filed 09:26 GMT, 31 October 2026, for the first edition of 31 Oct.
As agents only.

Sources

1. Signal Ocean: Gulf congestion rises as Fujairah takes 28% of waiting bulkersSignal Ocean (via AJOT), published 29 October 2026
2. Hormuz blockade keeps dry bulk queues near twice year-earlier levelsLloyd's List, published 31 October 2026
3. Global shipping reliability sinks to 27 per centPort Technology International, published 13 October 2026

Claims ledger: 10 facts and where each comes from

• Signal Ocean recorded 265 dry bulk vessels waiting at 29 selected Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman ports as of 28 October 2026, with Fujairah at 74 and Sohar at 50.¹
• Signal Ocean puts regional waiting 75% above the level of last year.¹
• The regional waiting series averaged 268 vessels from 1 to 27 October 2026, against 154 in the same period of 2025 and 139 in 2024.¹
• The regional count peaked at 291 vessels on 15 September 2026 and was 254 on 27 October.¹
• Fujairah's daily waiting count stayed largely below 40 vessels through the first half of 2026, then reached roughly 80–95 in September and October before easing to 74 by 28 October.¹
• Signal Ocean says geared tonnage outside the Strait of Hormuz could face persistent operational constraints for as long as these ships remain idle.¹
• Of Fujairah's 74 waiting vessels on 28 October 2026, 37 were Supramaxes, half the port's total.¹
• Lloyd's List reports that Fujairah and Sohar account for 47% of the 265 ships waiting, using Signal Ocean data.²
• Signal Ocean notes that more than six months into the Middle East shipping crisis, vessel waiting remains elevated across the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.¹
• Xeneta data put average vessel waits in Africa at 2.5 days in September 2026, down by almost a day, leaving it the most congested region.³

Every figure above is tied to a cited source that was checked on the day of filing. Found an error? Tell the desk.