<\/p>\n
African ports are capturing only a fraction of shipping rerouted around the continent\u2019s southern tip after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring their limited ability to turn global trade disruptions into gains.<\/p>\n
Since the chokepoint shut on February 28 due to the US-Israel war with Iran, vessels have rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope as an alternative to a corridor that normally carries about a quarter of the world\u2019s seaborne oil along with large volumes of liquefied natural gas and fertilizers.<\/p>\n
While the detour has driven traffic around southern Africa up as much as 90%, it hasn\u2019t boosted visits at regional maritime hubs, according to Rhenus Logistics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe increase is driven primarily by Asia\u2013Europe and Asia\u2013Mediterranean container services, alongside crude oil, LNG and dry bulk trades,\u201d said Ebenezer Simba, the company\u2019s ocean product manager for Africa and the Middle East. But it \u201chas not translated proportionally into African port calls,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Operational constraints such as weather disruptions and congestion have limited competitiveness at major South African hubs including Durban and Cape Town.<\/p>\n
The primary driver is that there \u201cis limited commercial incentive for carriers to adjust port rotations\u201d there, Simba said.<\/p>\n
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East African hubs dependent on Suez routing \u2014 such as Djibouti and Port Sudan \u2014 are also net losers due to limited capacity relative to other Gulf-surrounded ports such as Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Sohar in Oman and harbors in South Asia, he added.<\/p>\n
There are some regional winners.<\/p>\n
Gains are concentrated in a handful of locations positioned to service vessels rather than handle cargo, Simba said. Harbors such as Port Louis in Mauritius as well as L\u00fcderitz and Walvis Bay in Namibia \u2014 along with offshore refueling, or bunkering, zones in West Africa \u2014 are benefiting from a jump in demand as ships take on fuel for longer voyages.<\/p>\n
Bunker calls at Port Louis surged 42% to 294 vessels in March from the previous month, while fuel volumes climbed nearly three-fifths to over 109,000 tons, the Mauritius Ports Authority said.<\/p>\n
The reshaping of global trade lanes is adding time and cost to voyages. Rerouted trips between Asia, Europe and the Gulf can take as much as two weeks longer than standard transit times, said Vinny Licata, head of logistics and import compliance at Fictiv. Some carriers are also terminating trips outside the Persian Gulf to avoid the risks tied to the war.<\/p>\n
For Africa, responsible for about 2% of global maritime exports and 5% of imports, the surge in shipping hasn\u2019t translated into higher trade volumes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfrica has become a critical transit and servicing geography rather than a destination-port winner,\u201d Simba said. Value capture is concentrated in \u201cfuel supply and maritime services rather than container throughput,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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The pattern echoes disruptions in late 2023 and early 2024, when attacks on Red Sea shipping forced vessels onto longer routes around southern Africa but failed to deliver sustained gains for most of the continent\u2019s ports.<\/p>\n
Security risks are rising again just as some container lines had begun testing a return to the Red Sea-Suez route in late 2025 and early 2026. As soon as the \u201cGulf conflict erupted, they suspended those trials and plans in case the Houthis renewed their attacks,\u201d said Darron Wadey, a senior shipping analyst at Dynamar BV.<\/p>\n
Maritime piracy off Somalia\u2019s coast is resurging, with at least three hijackings reported in the past week, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations. The uptick reflects broader instability linked first to Red Sea attacks and now to tensions around Hormuz.<\/p>\n
For shipping lines, the Suez route is no longer viable, making the Cape route their default.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany are treating it as the new reality,\u201d Licata said, a shift that is already encouraging investment in permanent bunkering infrastructure across parts of Africa.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
#Top #Africa #ports #refuel #gain #Iran #war #diverts #ships<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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