What’s going on in freight — Tuesday 27 October 2026

The Gulf war is turning more targeted: Iran has named a single shipowner for action from 1 November, and the Houthis have claimed a strike on Saudi Arabia’s main Gulf oil terminal while fighting near Bab el-Mandeb. In the US, diesel is back at $6.35 and third-quarter results from Werner and UPS show carriers carrying less freight and charging more for it, while Friday’s dock protest spreads and Mexico’s truckers stand down for talks.

War, chokepoints and disruption

• Iran’s Hormuz transit authority said on 27 October that all ships of South Korea’s Sinokor face “legal action” from 1 November; Bloomberg says Sinokor ships carried nearly 40% of the crude leaving Hormuz last month. Forwarders booking Gulf cargo should check for any Sinokor link now. (gCaptain/Bloomberg, Gulf News) [01]
• The Houthis claimed a missile strike on 27 October on Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia’s largest refinery (550,000 barrels a day), which Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm. They also reported ground fighting near Bab el-Mandeb, the strait Gemini ships now use to reach Suez. (Reuters via GV Wire, CBS News) [02]
• Greek seafarers will keep ships docked at seven ports, including Piraeus, on Friday 30 October, and Kuehne+Nagel now puts the wider dock action at “over 50 ports”. Italy has formally registered a 24-hour national port strike for the same day. (OT.gr, Kuehne+Nagel) [03]
• Mexican trucking groups, including CANACAR, lifted their blockades on 27 October after one day, agreeing four working sessions with the government; it counted 38 protest sites in 19 states. President Sheinbaum said on 26 October that US tariff talks are “muy avanzados, pero todavía falta” (very far along, but not done). (Yahoo News/FreightWaves, Diario de Yucatán/EFE) [06]

Rates and markets

• US diesel rose 7.6 cents to $6.35 a gallon on 26 October, and Werner’s third-quarter fuel bill doubled to $130.3m. Werner guides one-way rates, net of fuel, up 10–13% in Q4 and is seeking double-digit increases on renewals. (Capital Press, StockTitan (Werner release), FreightWaves) [04]

Forwarders, carriers and deals

• UPS’s international revenue per parcel rose 15.0% in Q3 while US daily volume fell to about 15.6m from 16.2m, and it raised its 2026 revenue outlook to about $92.6bn. It also wrote down $182m of goodwill in the unit that holds its forwarding business. (UPS / SEC 8-K, Quartz) [05]

Software, AI and automation

• Air cargo data firm Rotate has launched a sanctions screening tool that checks routings and cargo descriptions as well as names, Air Cargo News reported on 27 October. One unnamed all-cargo airline is testing it, and a forwarder version is only on the roadmap. (Air Cargo News) [07]

Coming up

• Wed 28 October: Mexico cross-border and inland truck moves expected to be running again; working sessions with the government this week [06]
• Fri 30 October: dock protest across 50+ ports, Greek ports idle, Italy’s 24-hour national port strike [03]
• Sun 1 November: Iran’s “legal action” against all Sinokor vessels takes effect [01]
• Tue 3 November: US midterm elections [01]
• Late January 2027: UPS fourth-quarter results [05]