United Arab Emirates
Figures 2023 The hub. Jebel Ali is the region's transhipment port, and most boxes out of Dubai are re-exports, not UAE-made.
Out in boxes, made hereAluminium, cigarettes, copper wire rod (the raw material for cables), polyethylene, polypropylene.
Re-exportedPhones and telecom gear, cars, computers, car parts, going on to Africa, Iraq and South Asia. Re-exports are worth more than all the UAE's non-oil exports (2024).
In in boxesPhones, cars, computers, medicines, car parts.
Not in boxesOil by tanker, gold by air; they make the headline numbers, not our cargo.
PortsJebel Ali (the hub, behind the strait), Khalifa Port Abu Dhabi, Khor Fakkan and Fujairah (east coast, outside the strait: the 2026 doors).
This yearSince the start of March, Dubai's boxes land at Khor Fakkan or Fujairah and come in by sealed truck; Jebel Ali's volumes fell by more than half in the first half of 2026.
What partners fear here"How do I get a box to Dubai now?"
Saudi Arabia
Figures 2024 After oil, the Gulf's biggest box exporter: plastics.
Out in boxesPolyethylene (about 10 billion dollars), polypropylene (5 billion), urea, copper scrap, PET resin. Bags in containers from Jubail and Yanbu.
In in boxesCars, phones, medicines, computers, machinery parts.
Not in boxesOil, and methanol by chemical tanker.
PortsJeddah (Red Sea; in 2026 the Gulf's back door), King Abdullah Port (Red Sea), Dammam (Gulf side, behind the strait), Riyadh dry port.
This yearJeddah became the Gulf's back door and reports record box volumes; the giga-projects were cut back in February to put the 2034 World Cup and Expo 2030 first.
What partners fear hereSABER. Without the SABER shipment certificate the customs entry cannot be filed, and SABER's HS codes (the customs tariff numbers) changed on 1 January 2026. Second fear: Dammam is behind the strait, so boxes land at Jeddah and cross by road. VAT at import 15 percent, on top of the 5 percent GCC duty.
Oman
Figures 2024 The Gulf's other door: Sohar and Salalah sit outside the strait.
Out in boxesUrea, polyethylene, steel billets and rebar, aluminium, all from Sohar; and cut marble.
In in boxesCars, phones, steel pipe for the oilfields, trucks and pickups, medicines.
Not in boxesOil and gas; and the gypsum and limestone, which go in bulk ships.
PortsSohar (gateway, and the 2026 bypass for Dubai), Salalah (transhipment hub), Duqm (project and energy cargo).
This yearCargo for the whole Gulf lands in Oman; Sohar's cargo rose by half and its boxes by 40 percent in the first half of 2026, most of it transhipment.
What partners fear hereShort free time at the port everyone now uses (three to seven days, depending on the line), and the in-bond truck to Dubai over the Hatta border.
Qatar
Figures 2024 Gas first, and gas never goes in a box.
Out in boxesPolyethylene, urea, aluminium, steel rebar; re-exported cars.
In in boxesCars, phones, medicines, valves and taps, steel pipe; food and building materials for a country that makes little of either.
Not in boxesGas, three fifths of all Qatar exports; oil.
PortsHamad Port (the gateway, behind the strait), Mesaieed (industrial and bulk).
This yearNo port outside the strait, so 2026 hit Qatar hardest; imports come by sea to Oman or the UAE and then by road through Saudi, two borders. The North Field gas expansion still brings project cargo.
What partners fear hereThe truck crosses two borders. Also legalised papers and dangerous-goods approvals. No VAT.
Bahrain
Figures 2024 Aluminium, and the side door to Saudi's Eastern Province.
Out in boxesAluminium ingots, aluminium wire, aluminium sheet (all from the Alba smelter), cheese, steel structures.
In in boxesCars, engine parts, phones, medicines, electric cables; much of it onward to Saudi over the King Fahd Causeway.
Not in boxesIron ore and alumina in bulk ships, feeding the smelter.
PortsKhalifa Bin Salman Port (gateway, behind the strait), Mina Salman (general cargo).
This yearHit from March 2026; boxes now come over the causeway from Saudi.
What partners fear hereEverything comes over the causeway, and a box discharged in Bahrain must clear customs before it can go anywhere else, with a penalty if the papers are wrong. VAT at import 10 percent.
Kuwait
Figures 2024 Oil by tanker; boxes in, few boxes out.
Out in boxesPolyethylene, industrial chemicals, milk powder, perfumes; re-exported cars and trucks.
In in boxesCars, phones, medicines, trucks and pickups, oilfield pipe, frozen chicken.
PortsShuwaikh (gateway), Shuaiba (gateway and industrial), both behind the strait; Mubarak Al Kabeer is being built.
This yearSince March 2026 Kuwait has been fed by road across Saudi from Jeddah, the length of the country, and by feeder from Salalah or Khor Fakkan.
What partners fear hereThe road runs the length of Saudi, and the paperwork: invoice and certificate of origin stamped by the Kuwaiti embassy, KUCAS certificates for regulated goods. No VAT.