DP World Expands Trucking Fleet 40 Percent and Commits $800 Million to Jeddah and Tartus Terminals, Betting Hormuz Will Not Return to Pre-War Status Quo

DP World is expanding its overland logistics network in a bet that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will not return to the status quo from before the US-Iran war, according to Bloomberg, TT News, and India Shipping News on September 14 and 17. The Dubai-based firm plans to grow its truck fleet by about 40 percent and add new land routes to diversify supply chains linking Europe, the US and Asia to the Persian Gulf. It has also committed around $800 million to terminal upgrades at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Tartus on Syria's Mediterranean coast, both of which would link to the trucking networks. Funding for such projects received a boost last week when the company sold $1.6 billion in bonds. DP World's flagship Jebel Ali hub saw volumes fall nearly 60 percent as vessel traffic through Hormuz collapsed, though excluding Jebel Ali, DP World handled 6.5 percent more containers than it did in the same period last year. DP World COO for Freight Forwarding Europe Stephen Whittingham said the company expects some customers to continue using the overland service even once Hormuz re-opens, and that having options is where DP World can mitigate risk. DP World's infrastructure pivot reflects a strategic judgment that the Hormuz disruption has permanently altered regional logistics economics. The Strait has been effectively closed to commercial shipping since late February 2026, and even if diplomatic efforts succeed in reopening it, the company appears to be pricing in persistent security risk and elevated war-risk premiums that will make overland alternatives competitive for certain cargo types. The $800 million terminal investment in Jeddah and Tartus positions DP World to capture cargo that would historically have transited the Gulf, routing it instead through Red Sea and Mediterranean ports with onward trucking. Land transport costs three to four times more than sea freight, according to TT News, but for time-sensitive or high-value cargo facing uncertain Hormuz trans