Oman has turned the closure of the Strait of Hormuz into a strategic commercial victory. The ports of Duqm, Salalah and Sohar now handle cargo that previously passed through the chokepoint, which was vulnerable to Iranian intimidation.

Sea-Intelligence has reported a 213% surge in liner connectivity at Oman's Duqm port, attributing this increase to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This has led to shipping lines re-evaluating their networks across the region, resulting in increased traffic through Duqm.  A 188% surge was seen in Khor Fakkan, located on the Gulf of Oman, when compared to its pre-crisis baseline. This was due to ports outside the affected area absorbing services and cargo that had been displaced from established routes.

The increased transit time for vessels 

Sea-Intelligence based the figures on UNCTAD's Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index for the third quarter of 2026. Sea-Intelligence compared the results with the first full quarter before each disruption began: the third quarter of 2023 for the Red Sea disruption and the fourth quarter of 2025 for the Strait of Hormuz closure.

The increased transit time for vessels passing through the Strait of Gibraltar on their way to the Central and Eastern Mediterranean has also pushed African relay operations further south along the Atlantic coast, improving connectivity at West African ports.

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Walvis Bay over congested Durban as an alternative. 

Vessels sailing around Africa have been choosing Walvis Bay over congested Durban as an alternative.  Ports in East Africa and the Indian subcontinent have also handled displaced regional cargo as shipping lines have sought to avoid the affected area. This has supported connectivity gains at Dar es Salaam and Hambantota.

 A strategic commercial victory

 Notably, Oman has turned the closure of the Strait of Hormuz into a strategic commercial victory. The ports of Duqm, Salalah and Sohar now handle the cargo that previously passed through the choke point, which was subject to Iranian blackmail. This has transformed the sultanate into the Gulf’s primary logistics alternative. This development goes beyond simple economic diversification and provides Tehran with a subtle way to counter the pressure just unleashed by Washington.

The port of Salalah 

Meanwhile, the port of Salalah has seen its capacity boosted. It is now able to handle 6.5M TEUs. This upgrade cost $300 million. This led to a 20% surge in revenues in early 2026, reaching $132 million. Meanwhile, Sohar increased its handling capacity by 55% to feed the Hafeet railway into Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Duqm secured more than $7.5 billion in investment commitments for industrial, logistics and energy projects. Located entirely outside the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb straits, these three ports offer lower insurance costs and more reliable transit than inner-strait hubs.

 Geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East

Conversely, Sea-Intelligence confirmed that geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East have forced shipping lines to redesign their networks substantially. Consequently, while ports in the affected regions have lost liner connectivity, ports in neighbouring regions have compensated for this loss. Data from UNCTAD’s Port Liner Shipping Connectivity Index illustrates this growth in connectivity across these alternative ports in Q3 of 2026, compared to the pre-crisis baseline – the first full quarter before the disruptions began (Q3 of 2023 for the Red Sea crisis and Q4 of 2025 for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz)

.West African ports 

Due to the substantial transit time penalties incurred by vessels sailing to the Central and Eastern Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar, shipping lines have relocated African relay operations further south along the Atlantic coast. Consequently, West African ports have experienced a notable increase in connectivity. Walvis Bay. On the other hand, Walvis Bay has become an alternative to the congested port of Durban for vessels sailing from Asia to Europe via Africa. Similarly, ports located along the Gulf of Oman have experienced the most substantial connectivity growth due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Compared to a pre-crisis baseline,

About: Sea-Intelligence ApS

Sea-Intelligence ApS is based in Denmark, and Sea-Intelligence Pte Ltd is based in Singapore. The company provides research, data, and advisory services focused on container shipping and global supply chains

#Sea-Intelligence #West African ports # Middle East#UNCTAD # port of Salalah#ports of Duqm # Sohar# Gulf of Oman #Hormuz#Strait of Gibraltar # port of Durban