Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd relaunch Asia-ME service via Khor Fakkan bypass

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are relaunching their Far East-Middle East Loop (FM1/AGX) this month, marking a structural shift in how cargo reaches the Gulf. The critical change: the service now calls Khor Fakkan instead of Jebel Ali, reflecting eight months of Hormuz Strait disruption that has fundamentally reshaped regional logistics. This move signals that the conflict-driven closure is no longer treated as a temporary disruption but as a sustained operational reality requiring permanent service redesigns. The business implications are severe and multifaceted.

Container freight rates to the Gulf have skyrocketed 130% year-over-year, with Khor Fakkan spot rates climbing an unprecedented 479% since February, surpassing pandemic-era records. Simultaneously, ports like Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi have experienced a near-total collapse in transhipment volumes, while Khor Fakkan has absorbed a 700% throughput increase. This geographic rebalancing creates winners and losers: Khor Fakkan terminal operators like Gulftainer have scrambled to build truck gates and add 8,400 daily truck movements, while traditional hub ports face revenue erosion. For supply chain professionals, this represents both a warning and an opportunity.

The warning: single-point-of-failure dependencies in critical chokepoints are no longer theoretical risks. The opportunity: companies that have pre-positioned capacity at bypass ports or negotiated landbridge partnerships gain competitive advantage. Expect this routing pattern to persist until geopolitical stability returns, making it essential to recalibrate procurement, inventory placement, and mode-mix strategies around the new Khor Fakkan-centric model.