A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) has announced temporary detention and free time relief measures at key Middle East gateways in response to evolving navigation and port operating conditions around the Strait of Hormuz.
The initiative aims to support vessel, crew, and cargo safety while providing customers greater flexibility in managing container flows and maintaining supply chain continuity.
Under the temporary measures, eligible shipments at ports including Salalah, Jeddah, and Jebel Ali will receive extended free time allowances of up to 15 days, depending on discharge dates and cargo movement types. Maersk is also offering optional paid free-time extension packages at Salalah and Jeddah.
At Salalah, containers discharged between 28 February and 25 March 2026 that were not gated out by 25 March will qualify for up to 15 days of free time, with automatic extensions applied where contracted allowances are lower. For containers discharged from 26 March onward, standard or contracted free time will apply, with an optional 12-day extension package available for $360 per container.
Jeddah will continue to offer standard free time for containers discharged on or after 26 March 2026, alongside optional extension packages priced at $100 for local cargo and $240 for cross-border movements, each providing an additional eight days.
At Jebel Ali, eligible containers discharged between 28 February and 15 March 2026 that remain uncollected will also receive up to 15 days of free time. However, transhipment cargo remaining in port will be subject to a temporary storage charge of $25 per TEU per day, in addition to applicable terminal and reefer plug-in fees.
For exports, Maersk will grant up to 15 days of free time for merchant haulage cross-border shipments with a price calculation date on or before 30 April 2026. A separate programme covering Jebel Ali–Oman trade lanes, including Salalah and Sohar, will offer 15 days of free time for qualifying shipments between 4 June and 15 July 2026.
Maersk noted that customers with contracted free time exceeding the temporary measures will continue to receive their existing entitlements. All arrangements remain subject to local regulations and standard destination demurrage and detention tariffs where applicable.