Logistics services in Yemen.

Yemen logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Logistics services in Yemen are built around its coastline and seaports. The country is not landlocked and has about 10 ports, including Aden, Al Ahmadi, Al Mukalla, Al Mukha and Ras Isa Marine Terminal, plus 6 oil terminals. Containerised cargo moves mainly through these ports, supported by major global shipping lines with offices in Aden, Hodeidah, Mukalla and Sanaa.

Air logistics use 7 airports with scheduled services, including Aden International, Riyan, Sanaa, Seiyun Hadhramaut and Al Ghaydah. Yemen has a merchant marine of 30 vessels, mostly classed as other ship types, with some general cargo and an oil tanker. Overland links connect to Oman and Saudi Arabia by road for regional trucking and cross-border movements.

Freight forwarders in Yemen need to work around relatively low logistics performance scores. The overall LPI score of 2.2 and a customs score of 1.7, both below world medians, point to procedural and timing challenges. When choosing partners, check their track record at main ports such as Aden, Al Mukha, Al Mukalla, Al Ahmadi and Ras Isa Marine Terminal.

Yemen trades heavily with the UAE, India, Saudi Arabia, China and Turkey, so experience on these lanes matters. Forwarders should be comfortable with exports like gold, fish, scrap iron and industrial acids, and imports such as wheat, raw sugar, rice, iron bars and plastic products. Coordination with the many container lines that keep offices in Aden and Hodeidah is also important.

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Yemen rely on several seaports along about 1,906 km of coastline. The country handled about 380,000 TEU in 2024 and ranked around 96th of 168 globally for container volume. Yemen’s liner shipping connectivity index was 6.56 in 2021, placing it around 132nd of 169 worldwide.

Main seaports are Ras Isa Marine Terminal, Aden, Al Mukha, Al Mukalla and Al Ahmadi, with cargo pier depths up to 16 m at Aden. The World Port Index lists 9 ports of varying sizes. Global shipping lines with offices in Yemen include HMM, Maersk, PIL, COSCO, Evergreen, ANL, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC and X-Press Feeders, supporting both FCL and LCL flows via Aden and Hodeidah.

Scheduled international airports include Aden, Riyan, Sanaa, Seiyun Hadhramaut, and Al Ghaydah, with 7 airports in total handling scheduled services. Yemen recorded about 50 million tonne-km of air cargo in 2023, a modest level for a country of more than 41 million people. Air freight in Yemen is suited to higher value or time-sensitive trade such as gold and industrial acids, oils, and alcohols. These flows complement seaborne exports like fish and shellfish that often move under tight transit times.

Rail and road freight in Yemen connects seaports with inland areas and neighbouring states. The World Port Index notes that Aden port has rail access, linking maritime cargo to inland transport. Yemen shares land borders with Oman over about 294 km and with Saudi Arabia over about 1,307 km, supporting regional trucking.

Road corridors are important for trade with nearby markets such as Saudi Arabia and Oman. These corridors also connect to airports and seaports to feed export and import flows across modes.

Customs clearance in Yemen operates under a system that is part of the global trade framework. The country has been a World Customs Organization member since 1993 and is a member of the World Trade Organization. The average applied tariff was about 5 percent in 2017.

Yemen’s LPI customs score was 1.7 in 2022, below the world median of 2.6, while import and export border compliance were about 7 days and 3 days respectively in 2016. For shipments, shippers should prepare at minimum a commercial invoice, packing list and relevant transport document, allowing extra time for border procedures given these scores.