By Lori Ann LaRocco - Hundreds of thousands of shipping containers are currently stuck as ocean carriers have stopped taking cargo bookings for ports in the Arabian region.
“We are talking about $10 billion worth of cargo stranded at ports or in the Arabian Gulf,” said Ben Tracy, vice president of strategic business development at Vizion. “That amounts to over 270,000 TEUs.”
A.P. Moller – Maersk stated on Wednesday that it has halted cargo bookings for shipments to and from the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and all Omani ports except Salalah. As of March 2026, Maersk has around 14 vessels in this area, with a total capacity of 70,000 TEUs.
This suspension comes as Maersk has recently expanded its operations in the region.
CMA CGM has stopped taking hazardous cargo bookings for several Middle Eastern countries and has also paused passages through the Suez Canal. They have identified between 14 to 17 vessels, with a combined capacity of 70,000 TEUs, as “trapped” or sheltering in the Middle East.
Hapag Lloyd's CEO Rolf Jansen mentioned at an industry event that "50,000 TEUs" have been affected by the ongoing conflict, and the company has immediately stopped all cargo bookings to and from the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman (Sohar), Saudi Arabia (Dammam and Jubail), and Yemen.
Ocean Network Express (ONE) has also temporarily suspended bookings for cargo to and from the Persian Gulf.
Jeremy Nixon, CEO of Ocean Network Express, noted at a conference that container ships make up about 100 of the 750 vessels operating around the Strait of Hormuz.
COSCO Shipping Lines has also announced a suspension of new bookings on critical Gulf routes.
The company issued an advisory focusing on the safety of crews and vessels, advising ships to move to safer waters, reduce their speed, or anchor. Logistics professionals reported that around 6 ships are currently affected.
According to Kpler, MSC has about 15 to 16 vessels “trapped” or sheltering in the region.
Importers are being updated in real-time about these changes and their financial impacts.
The situation of “stranded” containers goes beyond just those in the Middle East.
“Containers that were meant for the region are now waiting in their origin ports,” Tracy explained. “These containers have nowhere to go.”
These diversions are proving to be expensive for shippers.
In a notice to clients, SEKO Logistics stated that ocean carriers have sent out emergency alerts, activating clauses in their Bills of Lading. This allows them to reroute vessels to safer ports and end voyages prematurely.
SEKO highlighted mandatory fees that are being applied to affected containers, as well as costs associated with diverting to contingency discharge ports, and all charges related to container handling, storage, and further transport costs.
“MSC is imposing an $850 fee for dropping off containers,” Tracy stated. “When you tally up all the diverted containers, MSC could earn around $158 million in fees.”