Shipping lines suspend Middle East bookings and raise freight rates

Shipping options to and from the Middle East have become scarcer and more expensive in recent days as major carriers suspend bookings, reroute cargo and introduce new surcharges across the region.

The changes reflect the additional cost of reorganizing services, as well as higher marine fuel prices following the rise in crude oil.

Year to date, Brazil’s containerized cargo shipments to the Middle East totaled 122,455 TEUs in the January-May period, down 8.2% year over year. The table below shows the change in volumes handled by each carrier on this route:

Exports to the Middle East by Carrier | Jan-May 2026 vs. Jan-May 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

On July 22, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement attacked an oil tanker in the Red Sea, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO. Rising tensions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait—the entrance to the Red Sea and an alternative route used following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz—have added further uncertainty to supply chains serving the Middle East.

Maersk said on July 22 that it had suspended ocean freight bookings for much of the region, along with some inland transportation services. The carrier said it would make every effort to give special attention to shipments of food, medicine and other perishable goods.

For refrigerated cargo, Maersk suspended bookings to and from Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and several ports in Saudi Arabia, including Dammam, Al Jubail and King Abdullah. Bookings involving the United Arab Emirates are currently limited to import cargo entering through Khor Fakkan.

The company continues to accept refrigerated cargo bookings to and from Lebanon, Israel and Oman through the ports of Salalah and Sohar.

For dry cargo, Maersk suspended bookings to and from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, except for selected services through Khor Fakkan and Jebel Ali.

The carrier continues to accept dry cargo bookings through Jeddah and King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia; Jordan; Salalah and Sohar in Oman; Khor Fakkan, for imports only, and Jebel Ali in the UAE; as well as Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Israel.

Maersk introduces emergency freight charges

Maersk has also introduced an emergency freight charge for cargo already in transit.

The surcharge is $3,800 per refrigerated container. For dry cargo, it is $1,800 per 20-foot container and $3,000 per 40-foot container.

The company said the charge was needed to cover the cost of rerouting cargo to its final destination, including possible storage arrangements, additional chartered capacity and other contingency measures.

Maersk is also charging an additional $1,000 per container for cargo carried on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and has introduced further fees related to cargo transfers and operational changes at sea.

CMA CGM has likewise announced an emergency freight surcharge, effective August 1. The additional charge will be $165 per TEU for refrigerated cargo and $150 per TEU for dry cargo.

On July 23, the French carrier also announced increases to its standard freight rates for shipments bound for the Middle East Gulf and the Red Sea. The size of the increases will vary according to the cargo’s point of origin.

Source: Canal Rural

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