265 Dry Bulk Ships Waiting at 29 Ports in the Gulf and Gulf of Oman
Key Facts
Signal Group recorded 265 dry bulk ships waiting across 29 selected ports in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman on October 28, 2026, reflecting continued vessel congestion during the Middle East shipping crisis. Fujairah topped the monitored locations, followed by Sohar, with the two ports together accounting for 47% of the regional waiting fleet. The data show that congestion extends beyond a single location but is heavily concentrated at these two ports. Vessel numbers had risen since mid-July, peaking in September before easing by late October. In the freight market, the Handysize index reached a 52-week high, while the Supramax index remained close to its own peak.
Fujairah had 74 ships waiting on October 28, compared with 50 in Sohar, according to Signal Group. The two ports together accounted for about half of the regional waiting fleet, making geographic distribution an important factor in assessing pressure on vessels available in the region. But waiting in Fujairah was not limited to ships awaiting loading or discharge: 48 ships, or 65% of the total waiting there, were classified as port calls. By contrast, 22 ships were awaiting discharge and four were awaiting loading. These categories show the different reasons ships remain in port and mean that the number of waiting ships is not a direct measure of stranded cargo or delayed shipments.
Supramax ships were the largest class in the port sample, with 107 vessels, or 40% of the total. Panamax ships came next at 56, followed by 53 Handysize ships. In Fujairah alone, 37 of the 74 waiting ships were Supramax, half the port’s total, compared with the class’s 40% share of the regional sample. This concentration has operational significance because Signal Group said prolonged waiting, particularly among Supramax ships, could reduce the availability of vessels ready in the near term. The effect on shipping depends on how long each ship waits and on the task it takes on after leaving port.
The number of waiting ships has changed in recent months, falling to 170 in mid-July before rising again through August and reaching a peak of 291 ships on September 15. After that peak, the count was 254 on October 27, before the October 28 snapshot recorded 265 ships across the selected ports. These figures distinguish the congestion trend over the period from the broader sample snapshot on the following day, and do not indicate that the count remained at its peak. The group’s report also does not attribute the dry bulk queues to any specific blockade or attack. In market indicators, the BHSI reached a 52-week high, while the BSI was three points below its peak, pointing to strong performance in both indices, though at different distances from their highs.
The waiting data come amid separate security risks in the lanes around Hormuz. The Associated Press reported on October 29 that Iran said three oil tankers had struck mines and caught fire in the previous 24 hours while attempting to leave the strait via an unauthorized route. The agency said it could not confirm the report, which did not name the tankers or provide details of any casualties. In a separate report, Lloyd’s List Intelligence said at least 28 attacks or security incidents were recorded in the first half of October in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waterways, involving cargo ships, freighters and dry bulk ships. These incidents provide context for maritime risks but do not establish that they caused the dry bulk congestion recorded by Signal Group.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence recorded 104 non-Iran-linked ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz between October 5 and 11, down 17% week over week but still 31% above the weekly average in August. These figures reflect tanker and other vessel traffic through the strait, a different measure from the number of dry bulk ships waiting at nearby ports. As for what could change the course of navigation, the AP reported that Iran’s ambassador in Islamabad said Tehran was ready to reopen the strait if Washington lifted its naval blockade. The position links any potential change in traffic to the course of negotiations between the two sides. Signal Group’s report did not specify a subsequent date for reviewing the waiting figures or estimate when they might decline.