Khorfakkan Port’s Road Container Flows Surge as Gulf Rail Links Expand

Khorfakkan Port’s shift from a sea-to-sea transfer hub to a gateway for cargo bound inland is testing the road connections that support it. Weekly container volumes moved by road have risen from about 8,000 TEU at the beginning of 2026 to 65,000 TEU amid changes to Gulf shipping routes. The jump is bringing congestion and longer truck waits, while rail projects and planned logistics centers point to a broader effort to add inland capacity.

Khorfakkan takes on an inland distribution role

Located on the Gulf of Oman coast, Khorfakkan has become an alternative entry point for container lines including Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. Their use of the port offers a route that avoids passage through the Strait of Hormuz to Jebel Ali Port in Dubai. Khorfakkan had mainly handled transfers between ships; now, more cargo is moving onward by land to destinations inside the United Arab Emirates.

Gulftainer, Khorfakkan’s operator, has added exit gates for trucks at the terminal. That change supports a different cargo flow: containers once transferred largely by sea now need to clear the port by road and reach inland distribution points. The reported increase to 65,000 TEU per week shows how quickly that shift has altered the port’s workload.

Higher throughput is also exposing constraints beyond the quay. On October 26, Maersk warned that ship congestion, full container yards, road traffic and long truck waiting times were delaying cargo removal. When containers cannot leave the terminal promptly, yard space tightens and trucks spend more time waiting to collect loads. These pressures make inland transport capacity a direct factor in how efficiently the port can handle arriving cargo.

Some containers are now being transported from Khorfakkan by road to the Sajaa logistics area in Sharjah Emirate. That route extends the port’s distribution reach, while adding more truck movements to a corridor already handling increased volumes. The source does not give a separate traffic or transit-time figure for the Khorfakkan-to-Sajaa movement.

Rail options develop alongside truck capacity

Rail services are already connecting other UAE ports with inland destinations. Etihad Rail began running three container trains a week between Fujairah Terminals and Abu Dhabi Industrial City on September 20. Containers can travel by rail from the port to the industrial destination, where customs procedures are conducted. The service provides a scheduled inland link, though the source does not report its container capacity or say that it serves Khorfakkan.

A separate proposal would use battery-powered autonomous wagons for shorter container moves. U.S.-based Parallel Systems is developing vehicles that can operate individually or in connected groups. The operating idea is to move smaller batches without waiting for a conventional freight train to assemble a full load. For ports and logistics sites, that could offer another way to connect cargo terminals with nearby inland facilities.

In September 2026, Agility’s corporate venture capital arm agreed to develop, finance and implement Parallel Systems technology in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Agility Global also took part in Parallel Systems’ $100 million funding round in October. The system is not yet commercially operating at Gulf ports. Routes, testing and approval processes remain to be completed, so its role in handling current port congestion has not been established.

The proposal adds a potential mode to a network that is still taking shape. Its practical value will depend on where the wagons can run, how they connect to existing rail infrastructure and whether terminals can handle their loading and dispatch requirements. The source provides no launch date or operating capacity for Gulf deployments.

Regional links and port expansion plans

Work on the Hafeet Rail project is intended to connect Sohar Port in Oman with the UAE rail network. Oman’s Ministry of Transport expects trial runs to begin by the end of 2027. That cross-border link could add another rail route between a port and inland markets, but the source does not specify its expected freight volume or service frequency.

Gulftainer is also planning to raise Khorfakkan’s annual container-handling capacity in stages, first to 5 million TEU and later to more than 10 million TEU. The program includes port expansion and new inland logistics centers. Sajaa and Al Dhaid are planned to provide a combined annual capacity of 2.3 million TEU, and a connection between Al Dhaid and Etihad Rail is part of the plan.

Those planned facilities would extend the logistics footprint beyond the port itself. The combination of terminal capacity, inland storage and rail access could give cargo more options after discharge. The source does not provide a completion schedule for the port expansion or logistics centers.

Gulf Cooperation Council transport ministers are scheduled to meet in Manama on November 8 to discuss operating rules for the regional rail network. The details of those rules could affect how rail services connect across borders, alongside the physical work on lines and terminals.

Inland capacity is the near-term test

Khorfakkan’s experience shows that changing a vessel’s port call also changes the demands on roads, yards and inland facilities. The increase to 65,000 TEU in weekly road movements has arrived alongside reports of full yards and truck delays. Planned rail links and logistics hubs could broaden the available routes, but several projects remain under development, and the autonomous wagon system is not yet in service.

For shippers routing cargo through the Gulf, the operational question is how quickly inland connections can absorb the volumes being redirected to Khorfakkan. The port’s next capacity gains will depend not only on its expansion plans, but also on whether containers can move reliably from the terminal to road, rail and distribution facilities inland.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye