Dry bulk carriers with agricultural goods have held off transiting the strait of Hormuz since the escalation of US-Iran conflict over the weekend, with some shippers exploring the option to discharge ahead of the transit.
The 82,188dwt Locarno, loaded with Argentinian barley, was scheduled to arrive at Bandar Imam Khomeini on 4 March, but has slowed significantly and held offshore just before reaching the strait on 1 March, according to shiptracking data from Kpler. Similarly, the 77,834dwt New Horizon with a corn cargo from Ukraine has also stopped moving since 25 February.
Flows into other countries in the Mideast Gulf have also slowed. The 77,079dwt Kypros Sky, having loaded a wheat cargo from Port Lincoln in Australia, diverted on the afternoon of 1 March offshore south India, Kpler data show. The vessel was scheduled to arrive at Umm Qasr port in Iraq on 8 March.
Some shippers are considering options to unload their cargoes in Oman and seek other land routes in the region to avoid the transit via the strait of Hormuz, according to market participants. But it remains uncertain how viable the option is for deliveries to countries like Kuwait or Iraq.
Immediate disruption to short-term deliveries may be capped for Saudi Arabia, at least based on its recent wheat tenders. State importer GFSA is not scheduled to receive wheat deliveries to Dammam port in the Gulf until the second half of April, according to its recent tenders. Its wheat cargoes via tenders would arrive in Jeddah and Yanbu in the Red Sea in March.
Smaller importers in the region, on the other hand, are poised to see a total halt of agricultural imports in the short term. Kuwait has maintained its import pace for wheat, corn and barley so far this marketing year, compared with a year earlier, with only a slight drop in wheat receipts. The country has only imported 200,789t of wheat in July 2025–January 2026, down from 269,926t a year earlier, according to customs data.
Some cargoes destined for the Mideast Gulf have also continued their journeys when they remain far from the strait. The 81,838 dwt Astrea, loaded with a wheat cargo from Port Giles in Australia, is still midway through the Indian Ocean and is scheduled to arrive at Umm Qasr port on 10 March. The 60,200dwt Genius Sw, carrying Argentinian corn, also continued its transit around the Cape of Good Hope. The vessel is still scheduled to arrive at Fujairah on 20 March, according to its AIS signal update today.
