March 4, 2026

Strait of Hormuz disruption: Which container vessels are trapped, waiting, or diverting?

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most critical chokepoints in global shipping. Roughly 20% of global oil flows and a significant share of regional container trade pass through this narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.

Following the escalation on February 28, container shipping operations across the Gulf entered a state of uncertainty, so we analysed the movements of container ships connected to Gulf services since the incident using MarineTraffic’s Container Intelligence platform.

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Current operational state of container shipping

Following the regional escalation, carriers paused new bookings, vessels slowed or stopped near the strait, and some services began diverting.

The picture that emerges is clear:

Some vessels are effectively trapped inside the Gulf
Others are waiting outside for instructions
Several services have already diverted

Fleet snapshot: Vessel status by category

Our analysis tracked container vessels operating on Gulf services between February 28 and March 4. They fall into several operational categories:

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Location	Status	Vessel Count
Inside the Gulf	Continuing regional port calls	87
Inside the Gulf	Trying to exit but unable to transit	37
Outside the Gulf	Waiting for clearance or instructions	16
Outside the Gulf	Diverted to alternative ports	43
Outside the Gulf	Still sailing toward the region	40

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These movements reveal how carriers are responding operationally and where bottlenecks are forming.

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Vessels currently trapped in the Persian Gulf

The most operationally sensitive group comprises vessels inside the Gulf whose next port lies outside the region. These ships cannot continue their rotations until transit through the Strait of Hormuz becomes possible.

Examples of trapped vessels

MSC PANAYA (MSC)—heading toward Vizhinjam, India
W KITHIRA (Maersk)—scheduled for Colombo, Sri Lanka
TEMA EXPRESS (Hapag-Lloyd)—bound for Mundra, India
ONE MAJESTY (ONE)—planned to sail to Mundra, India
CMA CGM KRIBI (CMA CGM)—next call Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo

For cargo owners outside the region, this creates immediate uncertainty. Containers onboard cannot continue toward Asia, Africa, or Europe until the vessels exit.

Maritime map showing vessel W KITHIRA's port calls and status list near UAE and Oman coasts. — Vessel W KITHIRA port calls on Container Intelligence

How many ships are still inside the Gulf?

Our container intelligence reveals a significant cluster of container ships remaining within the Persian Gulf. Among the top five carriers:

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Carrier	Vessels Inside Gulf
CMA CGM	14
MSC	12
Maersk	8
Cosco	7
Hapag-Lloyd	6

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Many of these vessels are waiting because their next planned calls are ports within the Gulf:

Jebel Ali
Khalifa
Dammam
Hamad
Umm Qasr

This does not mean operations inside the Gulf continue normally. While some vessels still have scheduled calls at Gulf ports, activity is significantly reduced. Many ships hold offshore rather than approaching terminals, positioning themselves outside potential strike zones as port infrastructure remains at risk.

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