April 2nd, 2026 – Stop-and-start operations at Salalah Port in Oman are worsening schedule disruptions that had already pushed major carriers on Indian westbound trades to adjust their network rotations in response to the ongoing Middle East crisis.
Salalah continues to serve as a key hub for both Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, supporting the Gemini Cooperation loop between India and Europe/Mediterranean as well as standalone services linking India with the U.S. East Coast. However, operations at the port were suspended over the weekend following a drone strike, further complicating already strained schedules.
In response, Hapag-Lloyd has altered its upcoming westbound sailing on the India–U.S. East Coast TPI service, redirecting it to call at Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan. The vessel Niledutch Lion is now expected to arrive in Karachi on April 9th after a scheduled departure from Mundra, India, on April 7th. This move marks a notable shift, as the carrier had previously stopped calling Karachi last year due to trade restrictions between India and Pakistan, instead routing Pakistani cargo via Salalah using feeder services.
Maersk has not yet publicly outlined its contingency strategy for Indian transshipment cargo affected by the Salalah disruption. Notably, all vessels deployed on the Gemini India–Europe loop—referred to as ME1 by Maersk and IOS by Hapag-Lloyd—are operated by the Danish carrier.
At the same time, the disruption is accelerating a broader shift in logistics strategy across the region. Ocean carriers are increasingly moving away from traditional port-to-port shipping toward integrated, multimodal solutions to manage Middle East imports. This evolving approach is gaining traction as shippers prioritize reliability and supply chain resilience, and industry observers suggest it could persist even beyond the current conflict.
Efforts to support this transition are already underway. Several Persian Gulf countries, including the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, are collaborating to develop land bridge networks and green corridors that combine sea and land transport to keep cargo moving efficiently across the region. One example is a partnership between Gulftainer in the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s Ports Authority, Mawani, aimed at strengthening logistics links between Sharjah and Dammam.
Saudi Arabia is also introducing measures to ease cargo movement, including offering 60 days of free storage for Gulf import and export containers and relaxing regulations such as extending the permitted operational age of trucks from 20 to 22 years.
Meanwhile, major shipping lines are stepping up efforts to reposition Middle East-bound cargo that has been rerouted to Indian ports. Hapag-Lloyd, for instance, has deployed a shuttle service this week from Nhava Sheva to Fujairah, with onward delivery to Jebel Ali supported by trucking connections.
