The Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority announced on Sunday the launch of an integrated logistics corridor linking ports in Sharjah with Omani ports , most notably Sohar Port, via the emirate’s land crossings. The move has highlighted the corridor's potential as a viable alternative to the Strait of Hormuz amid war-related disruptions and ongoing geopolitical tensions affecting Gulf trade.
The Sharjah–Oman corridor began operating on 14 May after technical and coordination requirements were completed between the relevant authorities. The first shipments were dispatched from Khalid Port in Sharjah to Sohar Port via the Khatmat Malaha border crossing, according to a report published by the official Sharjah 24 platform.
The new corridor is designed around an integrated link between Sharjah’s maritime infrastructure and a group of key Omani ports.
The network covers the ports of Sohar, Duqm, and Salalah on the Omani side, with a particular focus on Sohar as a central gateway due to its strategic proximity to the United Arab Emirates .
The corridor also relies on the integration of Sharjah’s port system across its eastern and western coasts, including Khalid, Hamriyah and Khor Fakkan ports.
Goods move through this land-based logistics artery via major crossings in Sharjah, including the Khatmat Malaha border post in Kalba and the Madha land crossing. This provides a direct and sustainable link that streamlines handling and cross-border transport operations while securing supply chains against unexpected operational disruptions, according to a report published by Arabian Business. Geopolitical dimensions The launch of the corridor carries geopolitical and strategic implications for the region's supply chain security. It forms part of the Gulf states' strategy to diversify trade routes and reduce the vulnerability of goods flows to security disruptions in key maritime chokepoints. It also raises questions over the potential success of alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz and the significance of the Gulf's recent push toward such projects.
The European trade and supply chain consultancy Kelmer, in a report published on 25 March, offered an assessment of such routes.
It said reliance on these corridors provides a viable alternative for trade outside the Strait of Hormuz. Freight trucks pass through the Khatmat Malaha crossing in Kalba and the Madha crossing before reaching Omani ports in coordination with customs authorities in both countries.
The system enables immediate customs clearance at the border without intermediate stages, significantly reducing costs and waiting times for businesses amid current operational challenges in the region, according to the report.
While field estimates suggest the Sharjah–Oman corridor is not primarily intended to replace the vast energy shipments passing through the strait, estimated at 20 million barrels of oil and one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas daily, it is seen as a highly effective tactical alternative for consumer goods, food supplies, essential medicines and industrial equipment, according to a report published by Seatrade Maritime on 14 May. Strategic hub for re-export Commenting on the importance of the new corridor between the two Gulf states, Omani economist Khalfan Al Toqi told The New Arab that the new logistics agreement opens broad prospects for intra-regional trade between Oman and Gulf countries.
He said it could position Oman as a strategic hub for re-export, describing the development not as a temporary measure but as a step toward long-term integration that strengthens Oman’s geographical role as a safe gateway outside the instability of the Strait of Hormuz.
Oman's major ports, Sultan Qaboos, Salalah, Sohar and Duqm, are located outside the Strait of Hormuz, providing a secure alternative for international trade and opening new investment opportunities for Omani and Gulf policymakers alike, he said.
This is particularly relevant amid the urgent need to activate delayed infrastructure projects, including oil pipelines and land and sea transport corridors, Al Toqi added.
He said the current period presents an ideal opportunity to attract investment and strengthen partnerships with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to build dual land routes and alternative oil pipelines.
This, he said, would diversify supply routes and reduce reliance on traditional corridors exposed to conflict risks.
As Duqm Port has proven its efficiency as a gateway to high-density markets in Africa and Asia, efforts should be intensified to enhance integration among Omani ports and other Gulf and Arab states, and to develop sustainable logistics solutions that avoid future disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Bab al-Mandab, according to Al Toqi.
Such measures would strengthen trade, economic activity and manufacturing, while supporting self-sufficiency and food security.
This, he said, requires Gulf lawmakers to think beyond conventional approaches and draw lessons from current crises to address structural gaps rather than temporary symptoms.
Al Toqi concluded that Gulf states need to build systematic capacity to assess risks and manage vulnerabilities to ensure the sustainability of supply chains between Gulf Cooperation Council states and other regions.
This, he said, would turn current war-related challenges into opportunities to build a resilient and sustainable logistics system that protects long-term regional economic interests. Structural breakdown in the trade model Energy and geopolitics adviser and lead researcher at Blue Water Strategy, Cyril Widdershoven, said the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis has caused an unprecedented structural break in the global trade model based on just-in-time flows.
He said the logistics corridor through Oman represents an urgent strategic necessity after the Strait of Hormuz has effectively become an "economically closed" zone unsuitable for commercial use, according to an analysis published on Oilprice on 25 April.
Widdershoven added that reality shows that "unreliability equals full closure".
He said any temporary announcements to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or any US–Iran diplomatic framework amount to a "temporary truce mechanism" and crisis management under pressure without achieving lasting peace, noting that major global companies will not risk their assets as long as Iranian military capabilities remain intact and capable of maintaining the threat.
He added that marine insurance markets now price strait-related risks as a near-permanent structural condition rather than a temporary shock, leading to prohibitive insurance premiums that render the route operationally unviable.
He warned of the emergence of "two separate energy markets", one facilitated for China through bilateral agreements with Iran and another facing severe restrictions and high insurance and shipping costs for Western and other Asian countries.
This, he said, gives Oman–UAE land–sea connectivity corridors critical value in securing supply chains. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .