Iran and the Strait of Hormuz Disruption: List of Vessels Affected and What's Next for Ocean Supply Chains

Escalating conflict in the Middle East has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting containerized shipping and supply chains across the Gulf and Asia-Europe routes. Carriers are suspending bookings and rerouting vessels, resulting in longer transit times, added costs, and growing risk exposure for shippers. We recommend that shippers monitor carrier advisories, and prepare for schedule and rate volatility.

This update focuses on what has happened so far, disruptions to containerized trade due to the Strait of Hormuz situation, and a live spreadsheet link with information on the container vessels impacted.

Effective Closure of the Strait of Hormuz: How Ocean Freight Has Been Impacted So Far

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has resulted in large-scale hesitation and course reversals across the container shipping industry, rather than a complete halt of all marine activity.

Vessels en route to or from the Persian Gulf began making U-turns within hours of the Hormuz Strait closure announcement. AIS data captured dozens of container vessels halting transits or reversing course, including vessels ranging from 700-TEU feeders to 6,700-TEU mid-size carriers.

At the same time, Houthi groups in Yemen have signalled a resumption of attacks on Red Sea shipping, effectively closing off the western approach to the Arabian Peninsula as well. This dual-chokepoint scenario, with the Strait of Hormuz closed to the east and the Red Sea volatile to the west, leaves Gulf-bound cargo with no fast-routing option.

Asia-Europe services that had recently returned to the Suez Canal routing, after more than two years of Cape of Good Hope detours, have reverted to the longer route around Africa. That shift alone adds approximately seven days to transit times on key loops, with cascading effects on vessel schedules, port calls, and equipment availability.

A small number of vessels have still transited, including Iranian-flagged vessels departing Bandar Abbas. However, the broader pattern indicates that most mainline container operators are avoiding exposure to Hormuz shipping disruptions entirely.

Some carriers have started declaring End of Voyage (EOV) at alternative discharge ports while others remain at anchorage awaiting further instructions, increasing uncertainty for Gulf-bound cargo.

Gulf airspace closures have added another layer of disruption, tightening global air freight capacity and forcing airlines to reroute around the region. For shippers relying on air as a backup for time-sensitive cargo, lead times and rates on Asia-Europe air lanes are already under pressure.

Carrier Advisories and Service Adjustments Following the Hormuz Strait Closure

As of March 5, major carriers have already implemented significant network changes in response to the Strait of Hormuz situation:

MSC:

The carrier has suspended all bookings for worldwide cargo destined for the Middle East region until further notice.

MSC has declared End of Voyage (EOV) for all shipments destined for the Arabian Gulf. Containers currently on the water will be discharged at the next safe port of call, requiring customers to arrange onward transport or new bookings.

MSC has introduced several emergency surcharges as security risks escalate around the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. Effective March 5, 2026, the carrier implemented a War Risk Surcharge of USD 2,000 per 20' container, USD 3,000 per 40' container, and USD 4,000 per reefer for cargo moving from the Arabian Peninsula to destinations across Africa and the Indian Ocean islands.

The carrier has also applied an Emergency War Surcharge for shipments moving from the Indian Subcontinent to East Africa and Indian Ocean markets, alongside a series of Emergency Fuel Surcharges scheduled to take effect from mid-March onward.

CMA CGM:

CMA CGM has introduced an Emergency Conflict Surcharge (ECS) effective March 2, 2026, of USD 2,000 per 20' container, USD 3,000 per 40' container, and USD 4,000 for reefer or special equipment for cargo moving to or from several Middle East countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, and others in the region.

The carrier has also progressively tightened operational restrictions by stopping reefer and hazardous cargo bookings and suspending all new bookings for several Gulf destinations, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE (except Fujairah and Khor Fakkan), Saudi Arabia (except select Red Sea ports), and Iraq’s Umm Qasr.

For cargo already on board or ready to load, CMA CGM has warned that vessels may deviate to contingency ports under force majeure provisions, with customers required to provide instructions for onward delivery and bear any associated handling, storage, or redirection costs.

Maersk:

Maersk has temporarily suspended vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz and paused new cargo bookings to and from several Gulf markets, including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and parts of Saudi Arabia, with limited exceptions for essential goods such as food and medicine.

The carrier has also suspended acceptance of reefer, dangerous, and special cargo across multiple Gulf countries. In addition, key services such as ME11 and MECL have been rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope after the carrier paused Trans-Suez sailings, which is expected to extend transit times and disrupt schedules across Asia–Europe and Middle East trades.

COSCO:

COSCO has halted all new bookings from worldwide origins to the United Arab Emirates (except Khor Fakkan and Fujairah), Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, and most Saudi Arabian ports except Jeddah, as well as exports from these locations to global destinations.

For cargo already on board, the carrier is assessing contingency plans, including the use of alternative discharge ports, with further handling to be governed by COSCO’s bill of lading terms and customer instructions. 

Industry-Wide Developments Following Escalations in the Middle East

Across the container shipping industry:

• Multiple carriers have halted Gulf bookings or transits
• Ships are rerouting away from the Suez Canal and Hormuz
• Cape of Good Hope routing is returning for many Asia-Europe services
• War risk surcharges and emergency security premiums are being applied across multiple carriers
• Several carriers have also invoked force majeure clauses in their advisories to manage contractual liabilities during the disruption. 

These decisions effectively erase the recent transit-time gains achieved through the resumption of Red Sea and Suez routings. Asia-Europe lead times will extend again as vessels revert to the Cape of Good Hope, a direct consequence of the ongoing Hormuz shipping disruption. 

Hormuz Strait Impact: Transshipment and Congestion Risks

As mainline vessels continue to avoid direct Gulf calls due to the Strait of Hormuz closure, Gulf-bound cargo is likely to be discharged at regional hubs such as Salalah, Sohar, Duqm, Khor Fakkan, and Colombo for feeder relay.

This creates two immediate risks:

1. Congestion at alternative hubs absorbing diverted volumes
2. Bottlenecks at Asian transshipment ports such as Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, and Port Klang, if carriers restrict Gulf-bound loadings

Early congestion signals are also emerging at several alternative transshipment hubs as Gulf-bound services remain suspended.

Portcast's port congestion data shows (as of March 5):

• A noticeable uptick in vessel traffic and anchorage activity at ports such as Mundra, Colombo, and Karachi, where vessels appear to be waiting while carriers reassess onward routing. While median waiting times at anchorage have not increased significantly yet, long-tail congestion indicators are beginning to rise, with some vessels experiencing berth waits exceeding one day.
• Major Southeast Asian hubs including Singapore, Port Klang, and Tanjung Pelepas are also seeing increased anchorage activity, reflecting the diversion of cargo that can no longer reach Gulf ports directly.
• In several smaller ports, the impact is more pronounced. Locations such as Karachi, Laem Chabang, and Semarang are already experiencing vessel bunching, with some ships waiting more than 2–2.5 days for berths.
• Salalah has seen a moderate increase in vessel traffic following the suspension of services to key UAE ports such as Jebel Ali and Khalifa, though congestion levels there remain limited due to its smaller scale.
  

Track the Vessels Impacted by the Strait of Hormuz Disruption in Real Time

To support the logistics and shipping community during this disruption, Portcast has compiled a live spreadsheet tracking vessels likely affected by the Strait of Hormuz closure. The list is updated continuously as the situation evolves.

Use it to assess exposure across your shipments and prioritize outreach to your carriers and forwarders. 

What Should Shippers Do Now?

• Identify shipments affected by End of Voyage declarations and confirm alternative discharge ports and feeder arrangements.
• Track cargo routed through alternative hubs, as feeder availability and port congestion may impact final delivery timelines.
• Anticipate longer transit times on Asia-Europe trades as a result of the Hormuz Strait closure
• Budget for surcharges and rising spot rates
• Prepare for schedule volatility as carrier networks are reconfigured

Stay Ahead of Disruption With Predictive Visibility

As the Strait of Hormuz situation evolves, reactive tracking is not enough. Shippers and forwarders need early signals on vessel deviations, port congestion risk, and transit-time impacts before delays materialize.

Portcast provides real-time container tracking, predictive ETAs, and port congestion insights to help teams assess exposure and act faster during disruptions, such as the ongoing Hormuz shipping disruption.

How Portcast Customers Manage Such Disruption Risk

When a disruption of this scale unfolds, the challenge for logistics teams is knowing which shipments are affected, by how much, and what to do next. Broad advisories from carriers tell you what is changing at the network level. What matters operationally is understanding the impact at the shipment level.

Here's how Portcast's Command Center helps customers to isolate exposure and take action during events like the ongoing Strait of Hormuz disruption:

1. Isolate the geography: Start by scoping the impact zone. Filter active shipments by ports or countries of origin, destination, or transshipment hubs within the affected region. This immediately separates the shipments that need attention from those that do not.

2. Identify stranded or at-risk containers: Use exception-based filters to find containers that are already showing signs of disruption: idling at a transshipment hub, awaiting final vessel assignment, or sitting beyond normal dwell thresholds. These are the highest-priority shipments.

‍3. Quantify expected delays: For containers closest to the disruption zone, pull predictive ETA updates rather than relying on carrier-issued schedules, which tend to lag behind actual vessel movements. This gives the teams and their customers an earlier, more accurate picture of when cargo will actually arrive.

4. Drill down for resolution: For shipments that need active intervention, move to the container level. Granular, box-level data supports precise communication with drayage providers, warehouse teams, and end customers, reducing the back-and-forth that typically slows down exception management.

For blank sailing risk specifically, a sailing schedules calendar showing upcoming departures by route and carrier helps identify lanes where coverage is thinning before the blank sailing is officially announced, giving teams a window to rebook or adjust.

This kind of structured workflow applies beyond crisis events. Port congestion, blank sailings, carrier equipment shortages, and schedule reliability issues create similar operational and financial exposure on a regular basis. Having a system for isolating, quantifying, and actioning these risks is what separates teams that absorb disruption costs from those that avoid them.

Speak to our team to understand how Portcast can help you navigate such scenarios with greater confidence.

NOTE: This article was originally published on March 2, 2026 and has been updated with the latest carrier advisories and vessel routing developments as of March 5.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by the ongoing tensions in the region. We remain committed to providing the shipping and logistics community with timely, accurate information to help navigate these challenging times.