The shipping and logistics group CMA CGM has launched a set of alternative multimodal transport solutions to transit through the Strait of Hormuz with the aim of maintaining the fluidity of logistics operations to and from the Middle East. The French company has stated that the safety of its personnel is its main concern in light of the current navigation restrictions affecting this maritime passage, one of the most strategic for global trade, which carries a substantial portion of hydrocarbon and goods traffic between the Arabian Gulf and international markets.
To ensure continuity of trade flows, CMA CGM is using its global network to establish logistics corridors that combine maritime, road, and rail transport, avoiding the need to cross the strait. The strategy revolves around three main geographical axes: the ports located south of the Strait of Hormuz on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, the port of Jeddah in the Red Sea, and the ports of the Sultanate of Oman.
The first of these axes relies on the ports of Khor Fakkan, Fujairah, and Sohar, all located south of the Strait of Hormuz, making them strategic entry points for goods destined for the Gulf that do not require crossing the maritime passage. From these port facilities, CMA CGM has organized logistics corridors that connect by road and through regional maritime services with the main hubs of the United Arab Emirates — Khalifa, Jebel Ali, and Sharjah — and with other countries in the Arabian Gulf region. This configuration allows goods to reach their final destinations without ships needing to enter the strait's waters.
The second alternative is organized through the port of Jeddah, on the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea. From this location, the French shipping company has established overland corridors that allow the distribution of goods to Dammam, on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, as well as to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. This route additionally offers the possibility of connecting goods flows with the Mediterranean and Asia without needing to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, expanding routing options for shippers operating on these trade routes. Services from Jeddah may or may not include complementary maritime segments depending on each shipment's needs and the final destination of the goods.
The third alternative axis is based on the ports of the Sultanate of Oman, which provide road connections with the United Arab Emirates and the northern Gulf countries. In this case, CMA CGM combines overland transport with short-haul feeder maritime services to offer a reliable solution that ensures the continuity of regional and cross-border supply chains. Oman’s geographical position, with direct access to the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman without needing to cross the strait, makes its ports a logistics option that gains relevance in the current context.
The activation of these alternative routes by CMA CGM occurs at a time of geopolitical tension in the Gulf region, which has led several shipping companies to review their navigation protocols in the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passage, which is only 33 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, constitutes the only maritime access route to the Arabian Gulf and channels the traffic of goods and energy products from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq. Any disruption in navigation through this corridor has direct consequences for global supply chains and raw material markets.
CMA CGM's ability to deploy these multimodal solutions relies on the scale of its global logistics network, which combines one of the world's largest fleets of container ships with an extensive network of overland services, port terminals, and logistics centers. The French company, the second-largest shipping group in the world by fleet capacity, has been expanding its logistics service offerings beyond maritime transport in recent years, incorporating road, rail transport, and warehousing capabilities that allow it to provide its customers with door-to-door solutions and, in situations like the current one, redirect flows of goods through alternative routes.
The organization of overland corridors by road through Saudi Arabia and Oman represents a significant change in the usual patterns of goods distribution in the region, where maritime transport through the Strait of Hormuz has historically been the predominant avenue for supplying Gulf countries. The shift to road transport entails costs and transit times different from those of conventional maritime transport, although CMA CGM maintains that the multimodal organization designed is intended to ensure both continuity and efficiency of shipments.
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz adds to the disruptions that international maritime transport has experienced at other critical points in recent years, such as the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, where attacks by Houthi rebels forced numerous shipping companies to divert their vessels via the Cape of Good Hope route. The accumulation of instability hotspots in the main arteries of global maritime trade is accelerating the search for alternative routes and investment in multimodal logistics capabilities by major shipping groups, seeking to offer their customers guarantees of operational continuity regardless of the evolution of geopolitical conflicts.
CMA CGM has indicated that the measures taken allow it to anticipate geopolitical risks and offer flexible logistics solutions in support of international trade, although it has not specified how long it plans to keep these alternative corridors active or detailed the impact that diverting from usual routes may have on transportation costs for shippers operating in the region.