UAE Eastern Ports Handle Bulk of Trade After Strait of Hormuz Closure

"No country has the right to disrupt international trade flows or threaten supply routes," Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei told a logistics forum in St. Petersburg last month.

Fujairah sits at the end of the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, which can carry between 1.5 million and 1.8 million barrels per day from inland fields to the Gulf of Oman, bypassing the Strait. Crude exports from Fujairah rose to an average of 1.62 million barrels per day by late March from 1.17 million barrels per day in February.

Khor Fakkan's transformation has been even more dramatic. The number of import and export containers handled every week has jumped to 50,000 from a previous 2,000. Truck movements have risen to about 7,000 trucks a day from 100 trucks a day before the war.

The company hired 900 people in two weeks at the start of the war. Shipping data confirms the picture. Traffic at both ports remained robust despite Monday's attacks, with six container ships berthed at Khor Fakkan and 10 more waiting, while Fujairah had two vessels at berth with another waiting.

Logistics firms say operations remain uninterrupted for now, apart from congestion. These ports are currently the only direct UAE port options for cargo destined to the UAE to avoid long road transits and border crossings via Saudi Arabia or Oman.

The UAE is not alone in seeking alternatives. Saudi Arabia has kept exports flowing at roughly 7 million barrels per day throughout the conflict via its East-West Pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain have fewer options as their marine links lie behind Hormuz, leaving them reliant on Khor Fakkan for seaborne imports or on overland shipments through Saudi Arabia.

The company operating Khor Fakkan is planning a new inland logistics hub roughly 50 km from the port. The facility, a dry port of more than 100 hectares linked by road and rail, will handle container transshipment and general cargo storage. It is a joint investment with the government of Sharjah and will cost over $100 million in its first phase.

Monday's strikes served as a reminder of how exposed the new Gulf trade architecture remains. A previous drone attack on Fujairah's energy infrastructure on March 14 triggered fires and the suspension of some oil-loading operations. The company acknowledged uncertainty about when the strait will reopen.