Executive summary
Trade and logistics flows across India, the Middle East and Africa are being shaped by continued geopolitical uncertainty and operational pressure across key maritime corridors, alongside strong seasonal export demand and growing interest in more flexible inland and warehousing networks. Uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz, variable vessel waiting times and high yard density at several regional ports continue to affect predictability, while agricultural export seasons in East Africa and evolving corridor conditions across West Africa are increasing pressure on equipment, trucking and gateway capacity. Maersk is responding through network reconfiguration, alternative gateways, multimodal routing, capacity planning and closer operational monitoring. Customers should continue to plan for variable lead times, provide early visibility of anticipated volumes, maintain routing flexibility and engage their Maersk representatives on the most suitable options as conditions evolve.
Ocean update
The operating environment remains uncertain, with developments around the Strait of Hormuz continuing to affect operations across the Middle East and creating ripple effects at ports elsewhere in the region. Vessel waiting times vary across IMEA. The most significant delays are currently affecting Tema and Abidjan. High yard density in Colombo, Salalah and Jeddah is also putting pressure on operations. To keep cargo moving, Maersk has reconfigured its networks, rerouted its vessels and introduced alternative gateways, while prioritising the transportation of essential goods such as food and medicine. The company has also started transiting the Suez Canal on the AE15, MECLand WAF6 services. Additional trans-Suez sailings may be considered if security thresholds continue to be met; however, this would not represent a full return of the East–West network to the trans-Suez corridor. Safety, cargo integrity and network stability remain central to every routing decision, and customers will continue to receive updates as conditions evolve.
Logistics and services update
Western Africa Area
In West and Central Africa, the way goods are transported over land is being shaped by increasing volatility in trade corridors. Trucks, cargo and customers are shifting between gateways in response to congestion, security conditions, border restrictions, seasonal road conditions and differences in rates. Although capacity remains manageable, the market is becoming less predictable and requires more multi-gateway planning, secured capacity, improved operational visibility and faster responses to changes in the corridors. Maersk is therefore strengthening its alternative-gateway strategy for key inland markets, with an immediate focus on Mali. Congestion in Dakar, disruption to vessel schedules in Abidjan, and continued security uncertainty along the Dakar–Bamako corridor has reinforced the need for greater routing diversity. Meanwhile, Tema’s operational stability and commitment to serving landlocked markets are making it an increasingly relevant option for transit cargo. Alongside stronger partnerships with transport providers, continuous monitoring of transit times, security, customs processes and equipment availability, and enhanced visibility through the Customs Control Tower, Maersk is developing contingency plans that allow cargo to be rerouted when disruption occurs. Maersk is assessing the main corridors serving Mali in terms of port and terminal performance, schedule reliability, inland capacity, border and customs processes, security, transit time and total logistics costs. This will inform routing recommendations aligned with each customer’s priorities. As conditions evolve, customers are encouraged to engage with their Maersk representatives, as corridor volatility is likely to remain a structural feature of the regional market. This makes flexible routing, end-to-end visibility and proactive exception management increasingly important to supply chain resilience.
