UAE Ports Surge as Fujairah and Khor Fakkan Handle 38% Increase in Crude Exports Amid Gulf War Tensions

At the UAE port of Fujairah, operations intensified on Wednesday as conveyor belts unloaded grain from bulk carriers, while crude oil was pumped through pipelines to tankers docked along the quay. A significant number of loaded trucks queued near the port, with additional vehicles parked outside, awaiting their turn. Offshore vessels, including those from shipping lines such as Cosco and Gardenia, anchored nearby, with service boats navigating between them.

Eastern Ports Become UAE’s Economic Lifeline

Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, another eastern port with direct access to the Indian Ocean, have emerged as critical economic hubs for the UAE following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. These ports are now responsible for the majority of the UAE’s seaborne trade, compensating for the major terminals on the western coast within the Gulf, where vessels have been immobilized.

Tehran Signals Reach Beyond Strait of Hormuz

Since the onset of the Iran conflict, crude exports through Fujairah have surged by 38%, nearing the maximum capacity of the pipeline that supplies the port. Khor Fakkan has also seen a dramatic increase, with terminal operator Gulftainer reporting a 25-fold rise in container handling. However, Iran’s recent drone strikes on the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone served as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by these ports, igniting a fire at one of the UAE’s vital energy facilities and injuring three workers.

Hours prior to the drone attack, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy released a map suggesting an expansion of its control along the UAE’s eastern coastline, which includes both Fujairah and Khor Fakkan. Shipping sources indicated that, as of Tuesday, neither port had been directly impacted, but the implications of Tehran’s actions were unmistakable.

The UAE’s foreign ministry directed inquiries to official statements from federal and Fujairah authorities, ADNOC, and the state news agency WAM. Senior UAE officials have consistently emphasized the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and have asserted their right to respond to any attacks against the UAE. Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei stated, “No country has the right to disrupt international trade flows or threaten supply routes,” during a logistics forum in St. Petersburg last month.

Fujairah is strategically positioned at the terminus of the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, which can transport between 1.5 million and 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) from inland fields to the Gulf of Oman, effectively bypassing the Strait and enabling ADNOC to sustain its oil exports to global markets. According to Kpler analyst Johannes Rauball, crude exports from Fujairah averaged 1.62 million bpd by late March, up from 1.17 million bpd in February. Notably, since the conflict began, Fujairah has started to regularly accommodate container vessels for the first time.

Khor Fakkan Transformed

The transformation of Khor Fakkan has been particularly striking. Gulftainer reported that the weekly handling of import and export containers has skyrocketed from 2,000 to 50,000. Kpler data indicates that daily port calls by container vessels at Khor Fakkan have nearly quadrupled since the conflict began. Chief Executive Farid Belbouab described the port as a “critical national gateway,” highlighting its evolution from a transshipment platform to a vital hub for a wide range of imports, including groceries and medical supplies.

Port Traffic Surges as UAE Reroutes Trade

The surge in truck movements reflects the broader trend. Belbouab noted that truck traffic has increased from approximately 100 trucks per day before the war to about 7,000 daily. The Sharjah-based company also hired 900 new employees within two weeks of the conflict’s onset.

Shipping data corroborates this upward trend. Data analyst Rebecca Gerdes reported that traffic at both Fujairah and Khor Fakkan remained robust despite the recent attacks. Currently, six container ships are docked at Khor Fakkan, with ten more waiting to berth, while Fujairah has two vessels at berth and another awaiting docking, indicative of its limited capacity.

Logistics firms have reported that operations continue uninterrupted for the time being.

Source: timesofdubai.ae

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Published on 2026-05-07 16:34:00 • By the Editorial Desk