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Middle East Tensions and Delays 
for Container Ships and Airfreight

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Maersk reported that the Port of Salalah was hit by a drone-related security incident on March 28, 2026, damaging a terminal crane and suspending operations. Salalah is open but high-risk for schedule slippage, especially for transshipment cargo tied to Maersk/Hapag-Lloyd/Gemini-type routings, Pakistan/Gulf cargo, or anything affected by the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden/Strait of Hormuz situation. Salalah port is operating, but due to recent regional security incidents and war-related rerouting, carriers are reporting congestion and possible delays. Cargo transshipping via Salalah should be closely monitored for schedule changes, rolled connections, and extended dwell times.

Hormuz disruption continues to trap 79% of vessels

79% of container vessels remain trapped in the Gulf after Hormuz disruption, tightening capacity and raising freight costs

Excerpted from LogisticsMiddleEast.com, by Nathan Baker

May 12, 2026

Fifty three container vessels were trapped inside the Persian Gulf when transits through the Strait of Hormuz became untenable, with 79% still unable to exit two months later, according to Kpler Container Intelligence data.

Only nine vessels have successfully exited the Strait, including two that required a second attempt, while two vessels were seized and one sustained damage. This leaves 42 vessels and associated cargo in prolonged commercial limbo.

Carrier exposure

Carrier level data shows uneven exposure and recovery outcomes across fleets. CMA CGM had 15 vessels in the Gulf but extracted only two, representing an 87% entrapment rate.

MSC recorded the most complex situation with 14 vessels affected, including two seizures, while eight remain inside despite four successful exits.

COSCO achieved the highest relative success, with two vessels exiting on second attempts, suggesting differentiated transit strategies.

Other carriers including Evergreen, Yang Ming, ONE, HMM and Wan Hai recorded zero successful exits, leaving all affected vessels stranded.

Capacity removal tightens

The immobilisation of 53 vessels has removed tens of thousands of TEUs from active rotation, reducing effective capacity while vessels continue incurring fuel and port costs without generating revenue.

For cargo owners, the disruption has shifted from short term delays to forced rerouting. High value cargo has moved via alternative corridors at higher cost, while low margin shipments such as construction materials face extended delays due to limited viable alternatives.

Rerouting shifts congestion pressure

With direct transit suspended, cargo flows have been redirected to alternative hubs including Salalah, Khor Fakkan and other Indian Ocean transshipment ports.

These ports are now operating beyond baseline conditions, with congestion, vessel queues and waiting times increasing as rerouted volumes accumulate.

Service rotations have been restructured to bypass Gulf ports, reducing schedule reliability and forcing carriers to omit calls or redesign routes.

Per Dubai Cargoes

Airfreight in the Middle East has severe service disruptions, including flight diversions, limited capacity and increased rates. Key hubs like Dubai are facing flight holds and capacity caps, while air space restrictions and fuel cost spikes are forcing rerouting and capacity shortages.

As of May 10, Dubai has imposed a one-rotation-per-day cap on foreign airlines — in force through May 31, 2026. Combined with the 39% air cargo capacity reduction caused by Gulf airspace closures, this cap is creating the most severe air cargo constraint Dubai has seen since the pandemic. 

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Please find our newest Space and Equipment report, below.

Please note: regardless of the status showing on the report, please reach out to your BOC Representative to discuss existing status. Space availability changes daily, even multiple times per day. This report is just a general guideline. We will always do everything we can to help you move your freight.

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CSMS # 68536553 – CBP Offers Multiple ACE
Reports for Monitoring CAPE Refund Claims

On April 20, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Portal to streamline the submission and processing of valid refund requests for duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). After CBP review, the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) will issue refunds via Automated Clearing House (ACH). IEEPA refund ACH transactions will begin as early as May 12, 2026. For more information on submitting CAPE Declarations, review CBP’s IEEPA Duty Refunds webpage.  

To help the trade community prepare and monitor CAPE declaration submissions, CBP has provided multiple ACE Reports products. Below is an overview of the available reports:

• ES-022: CAPE Entry Summary Report
  
• This report links CAPE declaration, entry, and refund numbers to help track the refund process and displays refund amounts separated by principal and interest.

• REV-603: Trade Refund Report
  
• This report enables trade users to track CAPE declarations that have one of the following “Refund Secondary Statuses” after the refund is received by Treasury.
  
• Sent to Treasury – This status indicates that Treasury has received an approved refund claim.
  
• Treasury Issued – This status indicates that a refund has been issued.
  
• Funds Diverted – This status indicates that funds have been diverted for an existing bill. Diversion occurs after liquidation of the entry summary, before the refund is issued.
  
• Check/ACH Returned – This status occurs when refunds are rejected due to incomplete ACH Refund enrollment.
  
• For help running this report, review the ACE Reports Trade Refund Report Quick Reference Card (QRC).
  
• REV-613: ACH Rejected Refunds Report
  
• This report provides information on refunds that have been rejected due to incomplete ACH Refund enrollment. For help running this report, review the ACE Reports Trade Refund Report Quick Reference Card (QRC).
  
• For more information about rejected refunds, review CBP’s Replacement Refund Instructions.
  
• REV-615: CAPE Details Refunds Report
  
• Building on the REV-603 report, this report provides entry summary-level details associated with CAPE declarations that have been sent to Treasury.

ACE Reports Tips


• Save Time by Scheduling Reports: To minimize processing time, CBP encourages the trade community to schedule recurring reports and get results delivered to an email inbox. For more information, review the Schedule a Report reference guide.
  
• Use ACE Reports to Identify “4811 Notify Parties”: The following data elements can be added to Entry Summary (ES) reports to identify notify party information:
  
• CF 4811 Notify Party Name
  
• CF 4811 Notify Party Number

Support Resources:

• For information on how to access ACE Reports tool, review CBP’s ACE Reports webpage.
  
• For ACE Reports questions, contact ACE.Reports@cbp.dhs.gov.
  
• For other IEEPA-related questions, contact IEEPARefunds@cbp.dhs.gov.

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Please find our newest Space and Equipment report, below.

Please note: regardless of the status showing on the report, please reach out to your BOC Representative to discuss existing status. Space availability changes daily, even multiple times per day. This report is just a general guideline. We will always do everything we can to help you move your freight.

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AVAILABLE NOW – Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) for IEEPA Refunds

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has activated the first phase of the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) tool in the Automated Commercial Environment Secure Data Portal (ACE Portal). Importers and authorized customs brokers can now file their CAPE Declarations through their ACE Portal accounts. 

CAPE is designed to consolidate refunds of IEEPA duties including interest rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis. CAPE Phase 1 is limited to certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation. 

To learn more about CAPE functionality in ACE, review the CAPE Information Notice.  For more information on the CAPE filing process, see the ACE Portal: CAPE Declarations Quick Reference Guide. CBP will maintain all information on IEEPA Refunds and CAPE at the IEEPA Duty Refunds page on CBP.gov.

ACE Support Calls: 

The Trade Transformation Office (TTO) will conduct two support calls for the trade community. Registration links for these webinars are provided below. PLEASE ONLY REGISTER FOR (1) WEBINAR. THE SAME CONTENT WILL BE SHARED AT BOTH. All registrants will receive the access link for the webinar the day of the event, but entry into the webinar is on a first-come, first-served basis as seats are limited. After the live event, this and other previously recorded webinars will be available for replay at Trade Outreach Webinars | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (cbp.gov). 

• Registration link for webinar on April 21 at 1:00 p.m. ET: Register here 
• Registration link for webinar on April 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET: Register here

ACE Portal and ACH Refunds Resources: 

• One Page Overview: ACH Refund Enrollment 
• Frequently Asked Questions: ACE Portal and ACH Refunds FAQs 
• Training Video: Electronic Refund Enrollment in the ACE Portal 
• Training Guide: Automated ACE Portal Account Application for Importers 
• Training Guide: ACE Portal: ACH Bank Information for Electronic Refunds 
• Training Guide: ACE Reports Trade Refund Report QRC 
• Rejected ACH Refund Information: Replacement Refund Instructions 

Technical questions regarding this message should be directed to IEEPARefunds@cbp.dhs.gov. General questions regarding this message should be directed to traderelations@cbp.dhs.gov. ACE technical questions should be directed to the ACE Account Service Desk (ASD) at 866-530-4172 or ace.support@cbp.dhs.gov 

Related CSMS: 68315804, 68340863. 

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Please find our newest Space and Equipment report, below.

Please note: regardless of the status showing on the report, please reach out to your BOC Representative to discuss existing status. Space availability changes daily, even multiple times per day. This report is just a general guideline. We will always do everything we can to help you move your freight.

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CBP to Host Additional Webinars on IEEPA refunds / CAPE Portal

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Trade is hosting two webinars on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, and Tuesday, April 28, 2026, titled “User Readiness Support: CAPE Declarations for IEEPA Duty Refunds.” This webinar will provide guidance to users on how to successfully navigate the CAPE tab and process the submission from start to finish. These webinars are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.

On Friday, April 10, 2026, CBP issued guidance about the upcoming Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) deployment to launch the process to request refunds for duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA): https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/trade-remedies/ieepa-duty-refunds. CBP highly recommends that prior to participation in a webinar, attendees review all the information posted on this web page.

Registration links for these webinars are provided below. PLEASE ONLY REGISTER FOR (1) WEBINAR. THE SAME CONTENT WILL BE SHARED AT BOTH. All registrants will receive the access link for the webinar the day of the event, but entry into the webinar is on a first-come, first-served basis as seats are limited. After the live event, this and other previously recorded webinars will be available for replay at Trade Outreach Webinars | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (cbp.gov).

• Registration link for webinar on April 21 at 1:00 p.m. ET: Register here
• Registration link for webinar on April 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET: Register here

This webinar is a part of CBP’s Continuing Education Program. The number of credits and the credit code will be provided at the end of the webinar.

If you have any questions about this webinar, please contact OTRWebinars@cbp.dhs.gov.

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CBP to Host Webinars on IEEPA Duty Refund

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CBP is hosting two webinars on IEEPA Duty Refunds, one tomorrow, April 16, at 3:00 PM EST, and the other Friday, April 17, at 2:30 PM EST. We recommend you register and attend one of the webinars, if you are looking for more information on the IEEPA refund process.

Please click the links below to register.

https://inevent.com/en/WebinarUSCustomsandBorderProtection-1739306113/IEEPADutyRefunds041626/hotsite.php

https://inevent.com/en/WebinarUSCustomsandBorderProtection-1739306113/IEEPADutyRefunds041726/hotsite.php

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