Tell us about Malaika Shipping & Logistics and the markets you serve.
Dubai is our primary hub. We handle exports and re-exports from Dubai, imports into the UAE, and cargo moving onwards to markets across Africa, Europe, South America, and the Far East.
Automotive logistics is an important part of our business. We move cars, trucks, buses and machinery by container, RoRo, LoLo, air and road, supported by vehicle storage and handling at Jebel Ali Free Zone South. China is also an important origin for vehicles, spare parts, machinery and general commercial cargo.
Because Jebel Ali is at the centre of so much of our work, any disruption to shipping in the Gulf affects both our inbound and outbound movements immediately.
2026 has been an extraordinary year for shipping in the region. What has actually happened?
We have had two disruptions back to back. From late 2023 through 2025 it was the Red Sea. Ships stopped using the Bab el-Mandeb and went the long way round Africa, which added weeks to some transit times. That was painful, but after a few months everyone was planning around the longer voyages.
Hormuz has been much harder. Since the conflict on 28 February 2026, commercial traffic through the strait has been severely restricted, and it has stayed that way. For anyone working in the Gulf, that is a big problem, because Hormuz is the only way in or out by sea. It matters far beyond our industry too: roughly a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and a fifth of its LNG normally pass through it. By late September, reports put transits at around ten per cent of normal.
The closure has required the entire logistics industry in the region to reconsider how cargo reaches and leaves the Gulf.
What has the closure meant for Malaika specifically?
Our main operational hub is in Jebel Ali Free Zone South, and Jebel Ali Port lies inside the Gulf. A vessel can reach it only by passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Since March 2026, we have not been able to use the port for normal sea-freight movements.
This affects exports from Dubai, imports into Dubai, and cargo stored or consolidated in the free zone for re-export. For vehicle shipments, it means we cannot simply move a car from our facility to Jebel Ali and load it onto the planned vessel. We need another port, an inland connection, and a new handling plan.
Jebel Ali normally brings all those activities together in one place, so replacing it has been our biggest challenge this year.
How have you managed to keep cargo moving?
We have relied heavily on our partners. The routes changed quickly, and we needed people at alternative gateways who could confirm what was happening locally, not just what appeared on a carrier schedule.
Through Atlas, we work with trusted partners across the markets involved in these movements. They have helped us check port capacity, organise warehouses and trucks, confirm customs requirements, and handle cargo at origin and destination.
Atlas Network Partners in Jeddah, Aqaba, Belgium, Turkey, and Oman have been especially useful. Those relationships existed before the crisis, which meant we could act immediately instead of trying to identify and test new agents while customers’ cargo was already waiting.
Which routes are you using now?
We have moved sea-freight activity to ports outside the Strait of Hormuz. Khor Fakkan and Fujairah are on the UAE’s east coast, while Sohar and Salalah in Oman are also accessible without entering the Gulf.
Cargo can move between these ports and Dubai by bonded truck. For imports, it can be discharged outside the strait and brought into Dubai for clearance, storage, or delivery; for exports and re-exports, vehicles and cargo can be prepared in Dubai and trucked to the alternative gateway for loading.
We also use Jeddah and the Red Sea for suitable Saudi and regional cargo, while Aqaba and the Jordan corridor provide connections towards the Levant and Mediterranean. Turkey can support appropriate European and regional movements. These alternatives have less spare capacity than Jebel Ali, so planning is essential.
How does your range of services help during a disruption like this?
It gives us alternatives. We handle sea freight, air freight, RoRo, LoLo, road transport, vehicle shipping, heavy machinery, groupage, consolidation, warehousing, and customs support. Container shipping protects vehicles and allows compatible units or cargo to travel together, while RoRo works well for operational cars, trucks, buses, and wheeled machinery where a suitable service is available.
If a normal sea route is unavailable, we can combine another port with bonded trucking. If urgent cargo cannot wait for sea capacity, we can consider air freight. Smaller shipments can move as groupage, while vehicles and machinery can be matched to container, RoRo, LoLo or specialist equipment.
The answer is often multimodal. A shipment may now include road transport from our Jebel Ali Free Zone facility to an external port, a sea movement, and another inland delivery at destination. Our job is to keep those stages connected.
China provides another origin. Cargo can move directly from China to Africa or another destination when it does not need to pass through Dubai. Goods intended for the UAE can enter through a port outside Hormuz and continue by road. This is useful for automotive customers sourcing vehicles in Dubai and spare parts or machinery in China.
Where do things stand now?
The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to normal commercial traffic, and there is no reliable reopening date. Until that changes, ports outside the strait and the inland corridors connecting them with Dubai are part of our everyday planning.
Jebel Ali remains our operating base, even when it cannot be the sea gateway. We continue to receive, store, prepare, and document cargo in Dubai, then route it through the port that can serve the shipment.
What does all of this mean for shippers?
The crisis caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has shown the risk of relying on a single port or transport method. Shippers need to know which alternative gateway can handle their cargo, how the inland section will work, and which documents will be required.
They also need reliable partners at both ends of the movement. What has kept our shipments moving is the combination of our Jebel Ali operation, multimodal services, and Atlas partners who can act locally when a route changes.
A final thought?
Disruption will always be part of logistics. The important thing is to have alternative routes and working relationships in place before they are needed.
For Malaika Shipping & Logistics, our Dubai hub, our ability to coordinate shipments from Dubai and China, and the support of our Atlas network partners have allowed us to keep vehicles and cargo moving around the closure rather than waiting for the usual route to return.
Thank you, Mr. Pereira, for sharing how Malaika Shipping & Logistics has responded to a difficult year. To find out more, visit malaikainternational.com.
