REF: T360-OPS-2026-RT01 | ISSUED: 05 JUN 2026 · DAMMAM, KSA

The 20 most significant chokepoints and trade corridors, with indicative volumes and live disruption status — mapped against Taaf 360’s active Jeddah trade lanes.

A — Critical Chokepoints

#	Waterway	Why It Matters	Indicative Volumes	Status (Mid-2026)
1	Strait of Malacca	Asia’s main artery; Indian Ocean ↔ Pacific	~40% world mar. trade	Stable
2	Strait of Hormuz	Sole exit for Gulf crude & LNG	~20 mbpd · 25–30% oil	Elevated (geopolitical)
3	Suez / Bab el-Mandeb	Normal Europe–Asia container spine	~60% below pre-crisis	Phased partial return
4	Cape of Good Hope	De-facto Asia–Europe reroute since 2023	+3–5k nm · +7–14 days	Active diversion
5	English Channel / Dover	Busiest lane by vessel count	500+ transits/day	Stable
6	Panama Canal	Pacific ↔ Atlantic shortcut	~13k transits/yr	Recovered (post-drought)
7	Taiwan Strait	Most-watched geopolitical tail-risk	~88% of largest ships	Elevated (geopolitical)
8	Strait of Gibraltar	Atlantic ↔ Mediterranean gateway	~300 ships/day	Stable
9	Bosphorus / Turkish Straits	Black Sea grain & energy outlet	~38k vessels/yr	Elevated (Black Sea)
10	Danish Straits	Baltic energy & bulk exit	~70k vessels/yr	Stable
11	Sunda & Lombok Straits	Relief valves when Malacca congests	secondary	Stable

B — Major Trade Corridors

#	Corridor	Profile	Indicative Volume	Status (Mid-2026)
12	Trans-Pacific	E. Asia ↔ US W/E coasts; consumer goods	~28M TEU/yr	Stable
13	Asia – North Europe	Mega-vessel string; mostly via Cape	~22M TEU/yr	Disrupted (rerouted)
14	Asia – Mediterranean	Via Tanger Med, Piraeus, Port Said	~12M TEU/yr	Disrupted (rerouted)
15	Transatlantic	Europe/Med ↔ US East Coast; high-value	~8M TEU/yr	Stable
16	Asia – Middle East	Far East ↔ Jebel Ali / Dammam / Jeddah	strong growth	Elevated (Red Sea-linked)
17	Intra-Asia	Fastest-growing segment; feeder backbone	~40M+ TEU/yr	Stable
18	E. Coast S. America	Brazil ore, soy, reefer ↔ Asia/Europe	bulk + reefer	Stable
19	Australia – East Asia	Iron ore, coal, LNG dry-bulk	dry-bulk lead	Stable
20	Northern Sea Route (Arctic)	Emerging Asia–Europe shortcut	small / seasonal	Emerging / watch

C — Taaf 360 Lane × Chokepoint Map

Active Lane	Transatlantic	Gibraltar	Suez Canal	Bab el-Mandeb (Red Sea)	Malacca	Cape of Good Hope (Diversion)
USA → KSA (Atlanta→Jeddah)	●	●	●	★	—	○
Italy → Jeddah (Ancona/Genoa)	—	○	●	★	—	○
India → Jeddah (Kolkata)	—	—	—	★	—	—
China → Jeddah (Shanghai/Ningbo)	—	—	—	★	●	—

★ Unavoidable — every Jeddah call must enter the Red Sea | ● Transited on primary routing | ○ Only if diverted around the Cape | — Not on this lane

Key Exposure for Taaf 360

Jeddah sits inside the Red Sea — so 100% of your Jeddah cargo must transit either Suez (from the north) or Bab el-Mandeb (from the south). There is no routing that avoids the Red Sea entirely.

Northern entry (USA, Italy): reach Jeddah via Suez. Exposed to canal pricing and any congestion as carriers phase back in during 2026.

Southern entry (India, China): reach Jeddah via Bab el-Mandeb — the higher-risk Houthi-affected leg — and benefit less from a Suez normalisation. Build war-risk / insurance surcharges and transit-time variability into these two lanes specifically.

Volumes are indicative and rounded for quick reference; status reflects mid-2026 conditions and shifts with the security and security-premium environment. Confirm live carrier routing & surcharges before quoting.

TAAF 360 LOGISTICS · DAMMAM · info@taaf360.com · +966 13 815 2040