Khorfakkan Port Weekly Container Volume Jumps from 8,000 to 65,000 TEU as Carriers Bypass Hormuz

Khorfakkan Port in the UAE has seen weekly road container transportation surge from approximately 8,000 TEU at the start of 2026 to 65,000 TEU, as Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd use the Gulf of Oman gateway as an alternative entry point to Jebel Ali, which requires transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Operator Gulftainer has expanded daily truck movements from about 100 to 8,500 and is targeting annual capacity of 5 million TEU, with a long-term plan exceeding 10 million TEU. Maersk warned on 26 October of vessel congestion, full yards, and long truck queues at the port.

<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Khorfakkan Port has emerged as one of the most significant beneficiaries of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, with weekly container volumes surging from approximately 8,000 TEU at the beginning of 2026 to 65,000 TEU as major carriers reroute cargo through the Gulf of Oman gateway . The transformation, reported by SeaNews Turkey and confirmed by Gulftainer data, illustrates how the Hormuz disruption is reshaping the UAE's logistics geography and elevating a port that was previously a secondary transshipment hub into a critical entry point for the country's supply chain.<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The shift is driven by geography. Khorfakkan is the only major UAE container terminal located on the country's east coast, directly on the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean shipping lanes. Every other large container facility in the UAE, including the flagship ports of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, sits inside the Arabian Gulf and depends on passage through the Strait of Hormuz . When shipping through the strait became unreliable, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd began using Khorfakkan as an alternative entry point instead of Jebel Ali, transforming the port from a container-to-container transshipment facility into a logistics center for delivering cargo to the interior regions of the UAE .<a href="https://www.seanews.com.tr/article/crisis-in-hormuz-disrupts-trade-routes-and-maritime-security-mw0c9v1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="1" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://atlant-capital.ae/khorfakkan-port-expansion-10-million-teu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="9" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The operational scale of the shift is substantial. Port operator Gulftainer increased daily truck movements from about 100 to 8,500 to handle the surge, and containers are being transported by road from Khorfakkan to the Sajaa logistics area in Sharjah to relieve pressure on the port . The port now handles a volume of road-transported containers that would have been unimaginable before the crisis, and it has become the primary conduit for goods reaching UAE consumers and businesses while Hormuz transits remain constrained.<a href="https://www.seanews.com.tr/article/crisis-in-hormuz-disrupts-trade-routes-and-maritime-security-mw0c9v1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="1" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://atlant-capital.ae/khorfakkan-port-expansion-10-million-teu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="9" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The rapid growth has created its own pressures. On 26 October, Maersk warned of ship congestion at Khorfakkan, full container yards, road traffic jams, and long truck waiting times that were delaying the removal of cargo from the port . The congestion reflects the speed of the volume increase and the physical constraints of a port that was not designed for this level of throughput, but it also signals that the rerouting strategy is working at scale, even if imperfectly.<a href="https://www.seanews.com.tr/article/crisis-in-hormuz-disrupts-trade-routes-and-maritime-security-mw0c9v1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="1" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Gulftainer is investing to accommodate the demand. The company is undertaking a comprehensive expansion programme to increase annual container handling capacity first to 5 million TEU and subsequently to more than 10 million TEU . The plan includes not only expanding the port area but also establishing new logistics centers in the interior, with the Sajaa and Al Dhaid logistics centers planned to provide a total annual capacity of 2.3 million TEU. Connecting the Al Dhaid center to the Etihad Rail network is a key component of the project .<a href="https://www.seanews.com.tr/article/crisis-in-hormuz-disrupts-trade-routes-and-maritime-security-mw0c9v1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="1" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><a href="https://atlant-capital.ae/khorfakkan-port-expansion-10-million-teu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="9" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The rail dimension is expanding in parallel. Etihad Rail began operating three container trains weekly between Fujairah Terminals and Abu Dhabi Industrial City from 20 September, allowing containers to be transported by rail from the port to the interior with customs procedures conducted at the destination . The Hafeet Rail project, which will connect Oman's Sohar Port to the UAE railway network, is also under development, with trial runs expected by the end of 2027. On 8 November, transportation ministers from GCC countries are scheduled to meet in Manama to discuss the operational rules of the regional railway network .<a href="https://www.seanews.com.tr/article/crisis-in-hormuz-disrupts-trade-routes-and-maritime-security-mw0c9v1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" aria-label="1" style="color: rgb(57, 100, 254); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border-width: 2px 3px; margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;"></a><p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">For India, the Khorfakkan surge has indirect but relevant implications. Indian exporters and importers using UAE ports as transshipment or distribution hubs now face a different logistics geography, with cargo potentially entering the UAE through Khorfakkan rather than Jebel Ali and moving overland to Dubai and beyond. The port's expansion and the associated rail and road connections could, over time, create a more resilient gateway for India–UAE trade that does not depend on Hormuz transits. For now, the congestion and truck queues are a reminder that alternative routes carry their own costs and constraints.<p class="ds-markdown-paragraph" style="margin: 16px 0px; color: rgb(15, 17, 21); font-family: quote-cjk-patch, Inter, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Looking ahead, the key question is whether Khorfakkan's transformation is permanent or temporary. The WTO has noted that some trade route changes driven by the Hormuz crisis may become permanent, as businesses learn to keep backup plans even after the immediate threat recedes . If that pattern holds, Khorfakkan's expansion from a transshipment hub to a full logistics gateway could outlast the crisis that prompted it, reshaping the UAE's port hierarchy in the process.

Khorfakkan Port Weekly Container Volume Jumps from 8,000 to 65,000 TEU as Carriers Bypass Hormuz

Haulage Times Daily Intelligence