Historically high freight yields are driving a wave of dedicated container services between India and the Middle East, a tradelane that has been through a number of upheavals since the outbreak of Iran-US military tension.
The latest example: Maersk has just rolled out a new container shuttle loop from India’s Nhava Sheva port (JNPA) to Khor Fakkan in the UAE, “to support customers seeking better service reliability”.
The service, which began with the 2,600 teu Maersk Namibia departing JNPA on 24 September, is to initially offer a fortnightly frequency, according to industry sources.
The standalone loop complements regular sailings by the Danish carrier between JNPA and Salalah in Oman, a key hub for the Gemini partners, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.
Khor Fakkan has emerged as a critical gateway for imports into the Middle East in the larger context of shipping chokepoints around the Strait of Hormuz corridor. Average spot rates ex-Nhava Sheva to Khor Fakkan are now in the range of $6,000 to $7,000 per 40ft.
Ocean rates have also continued to spike sharply for bookings out of JNPA to other Gulf ports – as high as $9,500 per 40ft for Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and around $10,000per 40ft hi-cube to Umm Qasr in Iraq.
India-Persian Gulf trades have also been a target of Asia-centric regional lines, and market sources are reporting more forays. Emerging Chinese carrier CULines is said to have firm plans for an Asia-Middle East service, beginning in late 2026 or early 2027.
Sources believe it will be under a vessel-sharing agreement with other predominant intra-Asia carriers. CULines has cemented its liner network in recent months by acquiring more ships and expanding market reach beyond the traditional Asian landscape.
Another recent ‘opportunistic’ entrant was UAE-based Marsa Ocean Shipping. The common feeder operator last month opened a service linking Cochin and JNPA to Fujairah in the UAE and Sohar in Oman.
But Middle East port conditions continue to keep carrier networks for that region in a state of flux, operating in a stop-start fashion.
Hapag-Lloyd last week told customers it would not accept new Upper Gulf bookings to be transhipped via Salalah until further notice. The move came just two months after the German carrier had reopened Upper Gulf bookings after a prolonged halt.
Much of the pressure plaguing Middle East gateways is linked to a shortage of assets needed to move imports across the border overland, especially using truck fleets, industry updates suggest.
As the landside struggle persists, carriers keep rolling out surcharges on Gulf cargo in a bid to recoup the extra costs they arguably incur. MSC has just implemented a new “regional cost recovery surcharge” of $1,000 per teu and $2,000 per 40ft for containers booked from Europe to the the UAE and Upper Gulf.