Following the joint military operations by the United States and Israel on February 28th, 2026, and subsequent retaliatory actions by Iran, global logistics networks are experiencing the following disruptions:

Ocean Transportation:

• The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed to commercial traffic.
• Ocean carriers, including Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, and ONE, have suspended all bookings to and from the Persian Gulf (UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and parts of Saudi Arabia).
• Cargo diversions around the Cape of Good Hope are expected, extending transit times by roughly 10–14 days from Asia to the US East Coast.
• Container port closures are also possible. Operations at Jebel Ali in Dubai have been intermittently suspended due to aerial threats and regional fires.
• Ocean carriers are implementing “War Risk Surcharges” ranging from $1,500–$4,000 per TEU.

Air Transportation:

• Airspace closures across large parts of the Middle East have taken a significant portion of global airfreight capacity offline.
• Estimates suggest that approximately 18% of global air cargo capacity has been removed in a short period, driven by grounded flights and route suspensions.
• Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad, which collectively provide substantial cargo capacity, have suspended or reduced flights.
• This reduction is particularly acute on Asia–Middle East–Europe corridors, which traditionally rely on Gulf hubs for cargo transshipment.
• Airlines are rerouting cargo flights around conflict zones, often via longer flight paths.
• These extended routings increase fuel consumption and operational complexity, which in turn reduces payload capacity and increases transit times.
• Some carriers are shifting technical stops to Central Asia or bypassing Gulf hubs entirely.

RIM logistics, ltd. will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation and provide updates as necessary. Please reach out to your RIM representative if you have any questions.