Supply Lines

Hormuz Blockade Boosts Inland Container Flows at UAE Port Outside the Strait

With Hormuz closed, trucks are rerouting containers unable to reach one of the world’s busiest ports

Containers at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, US, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The US Census Bureau is scheduled to release US imports and exports figures on April 2.Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

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By Brendan Murray and Paul Burkhardt

April 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

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The blocked Strait of Hormuz doesn’t appear to be opening anytime soon, hampering not just energy flows but also shipping containers trying to move through Persian Gulf ports like Dubai’s Jebel Ali — the world’s busiest outside of Asia.

On land, some relief valves are starting to widen.