For decades, the Strait of Hormuz has been treated as an unavoidable gateway to the Gulf. Nearly every major trade lane feeding markets in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq has depended on ships passing through the narrow passage linking the Persian Gulf to the open seas.
But recent geopolitical tensions and maritime disruptions are beginning to challenge that assumption.
Across the logistics industry, companies are increasingly exploring ways to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz by creating alternative corridors that combine sea, land and feeder shipping routes. What once seemed like contingency planning is now gradually evolving into a more deliberate supply chain strategy.
A recent move by CMA CGM illustrates how these new logistics architectures are beginning to take shape.
A Multimodal Detour Around Hormuz
Facing navigational constraints affecting traffic through the Strait, CMA CGM has rolled out emergency logistics corridors designed to keep cargo moving into the Gulf without requiring vessels to pass through the chokepoint.
The approach hinges on using ports located outside the Strait of Hormuz as entry gateways. Among the key ports being leveraged are:
- Khor Fakkan
- Fujairah
- Sohar
Cargo arriving at these locations can then be moved into Gulf markets through a combination of trucking corridors, feeder shipping and inland logistics networks serving the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq.
CMA CGM has also introduced another routing option via the Red Sea port of Jeddah. From there, road corridors connect shipments across Saudi Arabia toward Gulf markets, effectively creating an overland bridge that bypasses the Strait altogether.
The underlying principle is straightforward: instead of relying on a single maritime gateway, cargo can move through multiple entry points supported by land transport networks.
A Broader Shift in Logistics Strategy
CMA CGM’s move reflects a wider recalibration taking place in Middle East supply chains. Logistics providers and cargo owners are increasingly designing routing strategies that distribute risk across different corridors.
Ports located outside the Persian Gulf, particularly along the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea, are gaining new strategic importance. Facilities such as Sohar Port, Fujairah Port and Duqm Port are emerging as viable gateways for cargo destined for Gulf markets.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia’s growing highway network is enabling a Red Sea–to–Gulf land bridge, allowing cargo discharged at ports like Jeddah Islamic Port to move inland toward the Eastern Province and beyond.
These multimodal combinations, such as sea-to-road-to-feeder shipping, allow supply chains to remain operational even when maritime access through the Strait becomes uncertain.
Redesigning Trade Resilience
None of this means the Strait of Hormuz is losing its importance. The passage still handles a vast share of global energy shipments and a significant portion of container trade entering the Gulf.
What is changing, however, is how companies are preparing for disruption.
Instead of treating Hormuz as the only viable route, logistics providers are building networks that allow cargo to flow through several parallel corridors across the region. Ports outside the Gulf act as staging points, land corridors bridge the distance to Gulf markets, and regional distribution networks complete the final leg of delivery.
In effect, supply chains are being redesigned around a simple principle: resilience through optionality.
And as CMA CGM’s latest initiative demonstrates, the map of Middle East logistics is beginning to reflect that shift.
