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Regional Container Lines has declared End of Voyage for cargo aboard four named vessels calling at the UAE port of Khor Fakkan and the Omani port of Sohar, imposing a mandatory USD 500 per container surcharge on all affected shipments, as escalating conflict in the Middle East forces carriers across the industry to suspend or curtail Gulf operations.
The Bangkok-based feeder carrier issued two separate customer advisories citing volatile conditions and exceptional circumstances beyond its control. The declarations apply to cargo loaded on MSC vessels Simona (voyage FK603A) and Ruby (voyage FK604A) terminating at Khor Fakkan, and to cargo aboard the Folk Dammam (voyage IG2609W-32) calling at Sohar. RCL also announced a General Rate Increase effective March 2, 2026, adding USD 2,000 per 20-foot container and USD 4,000 per 40-foot unit across all Gulf trade lanes.
A Crisis That Has Paralysed Gulf Shipping
The RCL measures follow the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz after coordinated US and Israeli military strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, triggered retaliatory Iranian drone and missile attacks across the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps subsequently warned all commercial vessels against transiting the strait, causing tanker traffic to fall roughly 70% within days and container movements to near zero.
An estimated 138 to 147 container ships, representing approximately 470,000 TEU of capacity, are now trapped west of the strait. War risk insurance coverage for the region was effectively suspended on March 5, removing any remaining commercial incentive for operators to attempt transit.
At least four vessels have been struck at regional ports, including a Marshall Islands-flagged crude tanker off the Omani coast where one crew member was killed.
Industry Wide Response Mirrors RCL Actions
RCL’s End of Voyage declarations reflect a pattern replicated across the container shipping sector within days of the crisis deepening.
MSC declared End of Voyage for all Arabian Gulf shipments on March 3, diverting cargo to alternate safe ports under a mandatory USD 800 per container charge. Maersk implemented an Emergency Freight Increase covering the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Oman effective March 2. Hapag-Lloyd issued a booking stop for all cargo types across those same markets and suspended Strait of Hormuz transits entirely. CMA CGM ordered all vessels inside the Gulf and bound for the region to proceed to shelter and suspended Suez Canal transits until further notice.
Ports inside the strait including Jebel Ali, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait have seen operations temporarily suspended. Saudi Arabian ports have recorded intermittent closures.
Fallback Ports Face Congestion Risk
Khor Fakkan and Sohar, both situated on the Gulf of Oman side of the strait and accessible without a Hormuz transit, have emerged as primary relay points for feeder services redirected away from deeper Gulf ports.
Port of Sohar confirmed all operational activities are functioning at full capacity. Khor Fakkan port authorities have not issued operational alerts, though navigational warnings are in effect over intermittent GPS spoofing and jamming in offshore areas.
Maritime analysts warn, however, that neither facility was designed to absorb the scale of diverted volumes now expected. Xeneta chief analyst Peter Sand noted that on any given day approximately 14,000 full equivalent units of containers are heading into the Middle East from around the world, half originating in Asia, and that rising yard density, extended transit times, and falling schedule reliability will rapidly show in industry data.
Under RCL’s advisories, all discharge-related costs at the declared End of Voyage ports, including container handling, storage, and ancillary port fees, are to be borne by cargo owners in accordance with Bill of Lading terms. The USD 500 mandatory surcharge applies in addition to those expenses.
The carrier has not indicated a timeline for resuming normal Gulf operations, with the situation described as subject to ongoing assessment as regional security conditions develop.
