Lloyd’s List Intelligence data reveals 673 vessels have switched to Singapore’s registry since 2024, with tonnage from Hong Kong accounting for nearly half the inflow

As diverted vessels reach contingency ports and inland networks tighten, disruption across the Gulf is set to escalate. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, carriers are operating through a network of temporary corridors whose capacity constraints will shape the weeks ahead. Rising fuel costs and mounting surcharges are already filtering through to shippers, adding financial pressure to an already uncertain operating environment

Global container volumes opened 2026 with solid year-on-year growth driven by Asia, even as North American weakness, softening rate indices and escalating Middle East disruption cast an early shadow over the sector’s fragile momentum

While shippers face mounting operational and financial strain the disruption could boost demand for chartered ships as carriers scramble to secure replacement tonnage

Container lines are abandoning the Strait of Hormuz at speed, suspending Middle East Gulf services, halting bookings and diverting via the Cape of Good Hope as the regional security crisis escalates, a shift that is already triggering congestion risks, rate spikes and widespread disruption across Middle East and Asian supply chains

As carriers reroute around geopolitical flashpoints and manufacturers shift assembly to lower‑cost markets, China‑linked cargo is flowing through a wider network of regional hubs. Even so, surging volumes at China’s ports underline that diversification has reinforced its position at the centre of global container trade