Maersk published Middle East Operational Update 40 on 22 July 2026. Most attention has gone to its freight charges, but another part of the advisory can materially change local delivery costs: a two-depot empty-return regime and a drop-off tariff ranging from free to USD 2,175, depending on the return location and equipment type.
The same update also sets a timing rule for cargo already en route. Customers choosing return to origin or change of destination may avoid the applicable USD 1,800–3,800 Emergency Freight charge only if they act before the container reaches the affected region and more than 72 hours before planned discharge. Once either threshold has been crossed, the charge applies.
If you have cargo moving to or from the Upper Gulf, three parts of the advisory are worth checking against your current bookings: which freight charge applies, whether the 72-hour decision window remains open, and where the empty can actually be returned.
The charge structure, as of Update 40
Maersk applies a Strait of Hormuz Emergency Freight rate to cargo loading from or destined for ports in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (Dammam and Jubail), Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman excluding Salalah. The rate varies by container category and remains subject to required regulatory approvals.
| Cargo type | Cost per container |
|---|---|
| 20′ dry container | USD 1,800 |
| 40′ dry container | USD 3,000 |
| Reefer, Special and DG container | USD 3,800 |
Separately, Maersk states that any vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz will incur an additional fee of USD 1,000 per container. This is a distinct charge from the category-based Emergency Freight rate above.
The distinction matters because the routing options and 72-hour timing provisions in the advisory refer to the USD 1,800–3,800 Emergency Freight rate. They do not describe the separate USD 1,000 vessel-transit fee as being waived according to the same timing test.
The 72-hour window is the actual decision
For cargo already en route, Maersk offers three options. Option A completes the planned voyage with temporary storage. The Emergency Freight rate covers 14 days of storage in transit, after which storage is charged at USD 25 per TEU per day, plus reefer monitoring and plug-in costs where applicable, and invoiced fortnightly. Option B returns the container to origin. Option C changes the destination.
Options B and C carry the standard change-of-destination fee and applicable additional freight costs. Whether the category-based Emergency Freight charge also applies depends on timing.
If the decision is made before the container reaches the affected region and more than 72 hours before planned discharge, Maersk says the Emergency Freight charge will not apply. If the option is chosen after the container reaches the affected region, or within 72 hours of planned discharge, the applicable USD 1,800, USD 3,000 or USD 3,800 charge applies.
There is a second restriction in the same clause. If Option B or C is selected after Option A was previously chosen, or after the container has been discharged at the storage-in-transit port, the Emergency Freight charge applies by default and will not be waived or refunded.
The operative question for a Gulf-bound container is therefore not only which option to select. It is whether the container can still be rerouted before the Emergency Freight charge becomes unavoidable. That requires a current vessel position and a reliable planned discharge date.
If your Gulf bookings are close enough to discharge that the 72-hour boundary is a live operational question, it is worth walking through how operations teams set alerts ahead of planned discharge.
Where empties can go, and what each location charges
For existing and new import shipments into the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (Jubail), Iraq and Oman (Duqm), Maersk says empty containers are not being accepted at their usual return locations. It names two designated depots: Salalah in Oman and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
Several other locations accept eligible empty returns on a limited basis. Depending on the location and equipment type, the return may be free or subject to a drop-off charge.
| Drop-off location | 20′ | 40′ | Reefers 20′ & 40′ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oman (Sohar & Salalah) | Free | Free | Free |
| Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) | Free | Free | Free |
| Jordan (Aqaba) | Free | Free | Free |
| Bahrain | Free | Free | USD 1,250 |
| Kuwait | USD 400 | USD 800 | USD 800 |
| Qatar (effective 27 June 2026) | USD 600 | Free | USD 1,200 |
| UAE (Abu Dhabi) | USD 600 | USD 1,200 | USD 1,200 |
| UAE (Jebel Ali, effective 17 July 2026) | USD 1,000 | USD 1,200 | USD 1,200 |
| Saudi Arabia (Dammam & Jubail) | USD 1,000 | Free | USD 1,800 |
| UAE (Ajman) | USD 2,055 | USD 2,175 | USD 2,175 |
Two free-return alternatives carry specific access conditions. Sohar accepts empties only for eligible cargo discharged at Sohar. Maersk also limits acceptance at Aqaba to eligible cargo associated with Iraq or Aqaba.
The difference between an eligible free-return location and Ajman reaches USD 2,055 for a single 20-foot container. Across ten 20-foot containers, that is a potential difference of USD 20,550 in drop-off charges alone.
The Delivery Order is not the final instruction
For containers already discharged, Maersk sets a two-step rule. If the Delivery Order states a return location that is accepting empties at the time of gate-in, the container may be returned there. If that location is no longer accepting empties, Maersk says it will issue an updated instruction directing the return to an available designated depot.
A Delivery Order can therefore name a location whose acceptance status changes before the truck arrives. Teams relying only on the original document risk dispatching equipment to a depot that is no longer accepting returns.
The empty return leg can require separate proof
The return instruction is only part of the control problem. Operations teams also need evidence that the empty container reached an accepting depot and was gated in before the applicable free time expired.
As covered in our walkthrough of how Maersk container tracking works, the public shipment timeline does not consistently expose empty-return gate-in as a clearly labelled final milestone. In cases where the tracking journey ends after delivery or full-container gate-out, confirming the return may require depot or terminal records, including the Equipment Interchange Receipt.
There is a related charge on the export pickup side. Maersk applies a Pickup Charge Export for non-preferred empty pickup locations, effective 6 April 2026. At Jebel Ali, pickup of a 20-foot container is free, while 40-foot and reefer pickups are charged at USD 300 per container.
For demurrage and detention, Maersk says the local tariff applicable at the designated return location governs, subject to local law. The advisory also sets a seven-day response window: if a cross-border return to the designated location is unlawful or materially prevented by an authority, the customer should contact its Maersk representative within seven days of the notice to agree a compliant interim solution and the applicable D&D treatment.
What to re-check this week
- Any Gulf-bound container within 72 hours of planned discharge, where selecting return to origin or change of destination no longer avoids the applicable USD 1,800–3,800 Emergency Freight charge.
- Any container already discharged under Option A, because switching later to Option B or C does not remove or refund the Emergency Freight charge.
- Any Delivery Order naming a return location whose empty-acceptance status may have changed before gate-in.
- Jebel Ali and Qatar returns spanning the stated tariff effective dates, with confirmation of which contractual or tariff trigger determines the applicable rate.
- Any return routed to Sohar or Aqaba, where eligibility restrictions apply even though the published drop-off rate is free.
- Proof of empty gate-in and the applicable free-time deadline, particularly where the public tracking timeline does not show a clear empty-return milestone.
Further Reading
- Maersk, Middle East Operational Update 40 (22 July 2026)
- Maersk, Middle East Operational Update 29 (4 May 2026)
- Maersk, Strait of Hormuz Closure—Temporary Suspension of Empty Returns (17 March 2026)
- Maersk, Strait of Hormuz Disruption—Temporary Line Detention Solutions (6 July 2026)
Figures and operational conditions in this article are taken from Maersk Middle East Operational Update 40, published 22 July 2026, and the linked empty-return advisories, except where noted. Jebel Ali drop-off charges are stated as effective 17 July 2026; Qatar drop-off charges are effective 27 June 2026; and the Pickup Charge Export is effective 6 April 2026. Maersk lists the additional USD 1,000 vessel-transit fee separately from its USD 1,800–3,800 Strait of Hormuz Emergency Freight rate. Maersk states that its Emergency Freight rates may be adjusted, remain subject to required regulatory approvals and notice periods, and that the operational information is subject to change. Confirm charges, depot acceptance and applicability against the current advisory, your contract and your local Maersk representative before acting.
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