machinery, valves and pumps, furniture, tiles and marble, food, medicines, cars and shoes.
We send back
aluminium and polymers. About 22 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24).
Port pair
Genoa or La Spezia to Jebel Ali, about three weeks in a normal year; Jeddah for Saudi.
Route now
From the Gulf to Italy we load at Salalah, Sohar or Jeddah, avoid Hormuz, and go up through Suez to Genoa or La Spezia: about four weeks from Dubai.
Ask a partner
"Do you load Gulf cargo in Genoa or La Spezia, and roughly how many boxes go to Jebel Ali or Jeddah?"
Germany
They send the Gulf
cars and car parts, machinery, medicines.
We send back
aluminium and polymers, and re-exported electronics. About 25 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24); Saudi buys almost as much as the UAE.
Port pair
Hamburg or Bremerhaven to Jebel Ali, three to four weeks in a normal year; Jeddah or Dammam for Saudi.
Route now
Gulf cargo to Germany loads at Salalah, Sohar or Jeddah, skips Hormuz, runs Suez and Gibraltar to Hamburg or Bremerhaven: five to six weeks from Dubai.
Ask a partner
"Do you ship Gulf cargo out of Hamburg or Bremerhaven, and is more of it going to the UAE or to Saudi?"
United Kingdom
They send the Gulf
machinery, cars and parts, electronics.
We send back
aluminium and polymers, and re-exported electronics. About 17 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24), the UAE first.
Port pair
Felixstowe or London Gateway to Jebel Ali, three to four weeks in a normal year.
Route now
Gulf cargo to the UK loads at Salalah, Sohar or Jeddah, avoids Hormuz and goes Suez to Felixstowe or London Gateway: five to six weeks from Dubai.
Ask a partner
"Are your Gulf boxes leaving from Felixstowe or London Gateway these days?"
France
They send the Gulf
machinery, perfumes and cosmetics, medicines.
We send back
aluminium and polymers. About 16 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24), most of it to Dubai.
Port pair
Le Havre or Marseille-Fos to Jebel Ali; Fos is about three weeks in a normal year.
Route now
Gulf cargo to France loads at Salalah, Sohar or Jeddah, avoids Hormuz and goes up Suez to Fos in about four weeks; Le Havre adds one.
Ask a partner
"Do you load Gulf cargo at Le Havre or at Marseille-Fos, and why that one?"
Spain
They send the Gulf
machinery, medicines, perfumes and cosmetics, tiles and food.
We send back
aluminium, polymers, chemicals. Saudi buys more from Spain than the UAE does.
Port pair
Valencia or Barcelona to Jebel Ali, about three weeks in a normal year; Jeddah for Saudi.
Route now
Gulf cargo to Spain loads at Salalah, Sohar or Jeddah, avoids Hormuz, then Suez to Valencia or Barcelona: about four weeks; Saudi polymers from Jeddah under two.
Ask a partner
"Do you see Saudi polymers coming into Valencia or Barcelona, and do you handle them?"
Portugal
They send the Gulf
clothing, car parts, electronics, machinery.
We send back
polymers, electronics, steel. A small lane, under a billion dollars a year (2023-24).
Port pair
Sines or Leixoes to Jebel Ali, usually relayed through Spain or North Europe.
Route now
Gulf cargo to Portugal loads at Salalah, Sohar or Jeddah, avoids Hormuz, runs Suez and relays in Spain to Sines or Leixoes: five to six weeks.
Ask a partner
"Does your Gulf cargo go out of Sines or Leixoes direct, or relay through Spain?"
Poland
They send the Gulf
machinery, electronics, food.
We send back
polymers, aluminium, machinery. About 4 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24).
Port pair
Gdansk to Jebel Ali, direct or on feeders through Hamburg or Rotterdam.
Route now
Gulf cargo to Poland loads at Salalah, Sohar or Jeddah, avoids Hormuz, runs Suez and Gibraltar to Gdansk: about six weeks from Dubai.
Ask a partner
"Do your Gulf boxes go direct from Gdansk now, or still on feeders through Hamburg or Rotterdam?"
Hungary
They send the Gulf
machinery, electronics, car parts.
We send back
electronics, machinery. Under 2 billion dollars a year (2023-24).
Port pair
Budapest by rail to Koper, then sea to Jebel Ali.
Route now
Gulf cargo to Hungary loads at Salalah, Sohar or Jeddah, avoids Hormuz, goes Suez to Koper, then rail to Budapest: four to five weeks.
Ask a partner
"Is Koper still your main port for the Gulf, or do you send boxes up to Hamburg too?"
Turkiye
They send the Gulf
machinery, carpets and textiles, clothing, electronics (the gold flies).
We send back
polymers and aluminium. About 23 billion dollars a year each way (2023-24; the UAE part, most of it, is 2023), much of it gold by air.
Port pair
Mersin or Ambarli to Jebel Ali, two to three weeks in a normal year; trucks through Iraq too.
Route now
Gulf cargo to Turkiye loads at Jeddah, Salalah or Sohar, avoids Hormuz, then Suez to Mersin: about a week from Jeddah, three to four from Dubai.
Ask a partner
"How much of your Gulf cargo goes by sea from Mersin, and how much by truck through Iraq?"
China
They send the Gulf
phones and electronics, machinery, cars and parts, steel.
We send back
Saudi polyethylene, aluminium. About 150 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24).
Port pair
Shanghai or Ningbo to Jebel Ali, three to four weeks in a normal year.
Route now
Back to China, UAE boxes load at Khor Fakkan, Sohar or Salalah, Saudi polymers at Jeddah, all avoiding Hormuz, through Malacca, about five weeks now against four.
Ask a partner
"Roughly how many boxes a week do you send into the Gulf, and from which port?"
Taiwan
They send the Gulf
cars, phones, computers, machinery.
We send back
aluminium and chemicals (and Saudi oil by tanker). Saudi is Taiwan's biggest Middle East partner.
Port pair
Kaohsiung to Jebel Ali, three to four weeks in a normal year.
Route now
Back to Kaohsiung, Gulf boxes load at Khor Fakkan, Sohar or Jeddah, relayed through a China or Singapore hub, avoiding Hormuz, about five weeks now.
Ask a partner
"Out of Kaohsiung, do your Gulf boxes go direct or through a hub, and is it mostly full boxes or LCL?"
Hong Kong
They send the Gulf
garments and electronics sourced in South China (the gold and diamonds fly).
We send back
electronics and machinery, much of it re-export. Hong Kong is a re-export hub like Dubai.
Port pair
Hong Kong to Jebel Ali, about three weeks in a normal year.
Route now
Back to Hong Kong, Gulf boxes load at Khor Fakkan or Jeddah, avoiding Hormuz, often landing at Nansha or Yantian rather than Hong Kong, about four to five weeks.
Ask a partner
"Do you load Gulf cargo in Hong Kong itself, or truck it to Shenzhen and ship from there?"
India
They send the Gulf
rice, steel, phones, cars (the gold flies).
We send back
polymers, fertiliser, aluminium scrap, limestone. About 52 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24).
Port pair
Nhava Sheva or Mundra to Jebel Ali, about a week.
Route now
From the Gulf, India boxes now load at Khor Fakkan, Fujairah or Sohar, outside Hormuz, on weekly shuttles to Nhava Sheva and Mundra: one to two weeks.
Ask a partner
"Of your Gulf boxes, how many go out of Mundra versus Nhava Sheva, and is it more Jebel Ali or Dammam?"
Malaysia
They send the Gulf
palm oil, electronics, copper wire, prefab buildings for Saudi.
We send back
aluminium and polyethylene. About 6 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24).
Port pair
Port Klang to Jebel Ali, about two weeks in a normal year.
Route now
Back to Malaysia, UAE aluminium loads at Khor Fakkan or Sohar and Saudi polyethylene at Jeddah, avoiding Hormuz, through Malacca, about three to four weeks.
Ask a partner
"Is your Gulf cargo mostly palm oil and electronics out of Port Klang, and do you handle the aluminium coming back?"
Thailand
They send the Gulf
pickups and cars, air conditioners, tyres, tuna.
We send back
Saudi fertiliser, UAE aluminium. About 11 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24).
Port pair
Laem Chabang to Jebel Ali, about three weeks in a normal year.
Route now
Back to Laem Chabang, Saudi fertiliser and UAE aluminium load at Jeddah, Khor Fakkan or Sohar, avoiding Hormuz, relayed through Singapore, about four to five weeks.
Ask a partner
"Do your cars go RoRo to Jebel Ali and Dammam, with the parts in boxes from Laem Chabang?"
Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar
Trade
Cambodia sends garments, shoes and bags; the UAE sends back cars and tobacco. Singapore sends valves, machinery parts and oilfield gear, and bought over a billion dollars of Saudi polyethylene in 2024; most Singapore cargo is transhipment. Indonesia sends cars, palm oil, shoes and spices; Saudi sends back methanol, sulphur and polymers. Myanmar sends frozen fish, beans and pulses, garments; the UAE sends back polypropylene and tobacco.
Ports
Sihanoukville and Yangon reach Jebel Ali through Singapore or Port Klang; Jakarta direct or through Singapore; Singapore direct, about two weeks in a normal year.
Route now
Back to Sihanoukville, UAE cars and tobacco load at Khor Fakkan or Sohar, avoiding Hormuz, relayed through Singapore, about four to five weeks.
Ask a partner
"Do your Gulf boxes go direct from Jakarta, or tranship in Singapore or Port Klang?" and "Is it mostly garment LCL into Dubai?"
Egypt
They send the Gulf
oranges, TV screens, copper wire, cheese.
We send back
Saudi polyethylene and polypropylene. About 11 billion dollars a year into the Gulf (2023-24).
Port pair
Sokhna (Red Sea) to Jeddah or Jebel Ali; Alexandria and Damietta on the Mediterranean side.
Route now
From the Gulf, Egypt boxes truck to Jeddah for the Red Sea feeder to Sokhna, or sail from Khor Fakkan through Bab al-Mandab: two to three weeks.
Ask a partner
"Do your Gulf boxes go Sokhna to Jeddah, or by truck and the Aqaba ferry through Saudi?"
Jordan
They send the Gulf
medicines, tobacco, dates.
We send back
cars, phones, polymers, sugar, a lot of it by truck through Saudi. Aqaba itself lands about four boxes for every one it ships out (January to August 2024): Jordan is an import country, and a lot of the Gulf part goes by truck through Saudi.
Port pair
Aqaba to Jebel Ali by sea, or by truck across Saudi.
Route now
From the Gulf, Jordan cargo mostly goes by truck across Saudi to the Haditha crossing, or Jeddah to Aqaba on the Red Sea feeder: one to two weeks.
Ask a partner
"Is more of your Gulf cargo going by truck across Saudi now, rather than by sea into Aqaba?"
Nigeria
They send the Gulf
cashews, ginger, sesame (the gold flies).
We send back
phones, cars, perfume, Saudi polypropylene; most UAE exports to Nigeria are re-exports through Jebel Ali.
Port pair
Jebel Ali to Lagos, Apapa or Lekki, about five weeks in a normal year.
Route now
From the Gulf, Lagos boxes load at Salalah and go up the Red Sea, through Suez and Gibraltar to Apapa, or round the Cape from India: five to seven weeks.
Ask a partner
"Do your Gulf imports land at Lekki now, or still Apapa and Tin Can?"
Cameroon
They send the Gulf
sawn timber, coffee (the gold flies).
We send back
cars, parts, generators, Saudi polymers.
Port pair
Jebel Ali to Douala or Kribi, four to five weeks in a normal year.
Route now
From the Gulf, Douala boxes load at Salalah or Khor Fakkan and relay through a Mediterranean hub via Suez, or round the Cape: six to seven weeks.
Ask a partner
"Is your Gulf cargo mostly into Douala, and how much of it goes on to Chad?"
Equatorial Guinea
Trade
A small lane: cars, parts, machinery and paint going in from the UAE; timber and some metal coming out.
Port pair
Jebel Ali to Malabo or Bata through a West African hub.
Route now
From the Gulf, Malabo and Bata boxes load at Salalah or Khor Fakkan, relay through a hub via Suez or the Cape, then feeder: six to eight weeks.
Ask a partner
"Do your boxes come direct into Malabo and Bata, or through a hub?"
"Normal year" ranges are worded estimates from sea distance, not a timetable. "Route now" is this week, as of 2026-10-29.