Khorfakkan waits 7.25 days as Gulf container congestion hits record

Market Context & Direct Impact

Gulf container ports are at a record congestion level, and the pressure has moved to alternative gateways. Linerlytica's latest weekly report puts Middle East container port congestion at a record high, with vessels waiting more than a week at key gateways. Kuehne+Nagel figures show average vessel waiting at Khorfakkan at 7.25 days as of 30 October, and 8.86 days at Fujairah over the preceding week. The congestion sits at gateways taking diverted cargo rather than evenly across the Gulf, and calls at Jebel Ali remain mostly ad hoc.

Trucks and yards, not berths alone, are stretching transfers inland. Transfers from Khorfakkan and Fujairah to Jebel Ali, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi now take 12 to 15 days, where they took about five days before. Maersk's 26 October warning named clogged roads and long truck waits at Khorfakkan as delaying clearance, and weekly truck moves out of the port grew from 8,000 teu at the start of 2026 to about 65,000 teu during the major Hormuz re-routings. The sources split on berth waits: The Loadstar expects MSC's larger ships on its Khor Fakkan calls to face more than two weeks to berth, a forward-looking figure that sits against Kuehne+Nagel's measured 7.25 days. Linerlytica expects Middle Eastern trades to keep drawing capacity even as freight rates soften elsewhere.

Core Executive Takeaways

• Transfers now the bottleneckGulf-to-hinterland moves take 12 to 15 days against about five before, so inland delivery dates slip before the vessels do.
• Sources split on waitsThe measured 7.25 days at Khorfakkan sits well below The Loadstar's expected two-plus weeks for larger ships, so plan to both.
• Trucks set clearance paceMaersk ties Khorfakkan clearance to yards and truck waits, so landside capacity matters as much as the vessel slot.

Strategic Playbook

1. 1
   Re-date landbridge cargo

   Push Khorfakkan and Fujairah landbridge delivery dates out, and confirm with each carrier which Gulf gateways still accept your bookings before release.

2. 2
   Screen gateways weekly

   Compare yard density at Salalah (84%), Jeddah (76%) and Sohar before choosing a discharge port, and get each carrier's booking restriction status in writing.

Filed 09:26 GMT, 6 November 2026, for the first edition of 6 Nov.
As agents only.

Sources

1. Middle East port congestion hits recordSplash247, published 3 November 2026
2. Major liners set to resume all Asia-Europe services through SuezThe Loadstar, published 3 November 2026
3. Who lets a robot wagon onto Gulf rails?Splash247, published 2 November 2026

Claims ledger: 13 facts and where each comes from

• Linerlytica's latest weekly report puts Middle East container port congestion at a record high, with vessels waiting more than a week at key regional gateways.¹
• Kuehne+Nagel figures show average vessel waiting at Khorfakkan at 7.25 days as of 30 October, while Fujairah recorded an average of 8.86 days over the preceding week.¹
• Transfers from Khorfakkan and Fujairah to Jebel Ali, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi now take 12 to 15 days, where they previously took around five days.¹
• Hapag-Lloyd's operational advisory puts yard density at Oman's Salalah port at 84%, with berthing delays of up to 36 hours.¹
• Maersk's temporary booking restrictions, announced on 30 October, cover Khorfakkan, Fujairah and selected Upper Gulf destinations, citing congestion.¹
• Jeddah's container yards are operating at 76% density, while Sohar faces waits of two to three days.¹
• Jebel Ali remains largely restricted to ad hoc vessel calls.¹
• The congestion is concentrated at alternative gateways handling diverted cargo rather than uniformly across Gulf ports.¹
• Linerlytica expects Middle Eastern trades to continue attracting additional capacity despite softening freight rates elsewhere, potentially adding further pressure to overstretched terminals.¹
• MSC has extended its Far East-Indian subcontinent Shikra service to Khor Fakkan in the UAE and Oman's Sohar port, as it capitalises on high demand for Middle East freight, despite severe congestion at these ports.²
• The Loadstar reports that the larger ships on the extended service will face severe delays, especially at Khor Fakkan, with waiting times of more than two weeks to berth.²
• On 26 October, Maersk warned that ship congestion, full yards, clogged roads and long truck waits at Khorfakkan were delaying clearance.³
• Weekly volumes carried out by trucks rose from 8,000 teu at the start of 2026 to around 65,000 teu during major Hormuz re-routings.³

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