Ramadan is a beautiful time of the year to celebrate faith and be close to family. Over 2 billion Muslims worldwide observe the month-long event (Smartraveller, 2026). While the cultural significance of Ramadan should never be underestimated, it can pose challenges for businesses that need to maintain international shipping logistics, warehousing, and regional supply chains, especially in the GCC.
To best address logistics shifts before, during, and after Ramadan, it’s best to plan for the season so service levels remain consistent. Working with a qualified provider is the best way to ensure customer trust and acknowledge the change in cultural events.
How Ramadan Alters Logistics Operations Across the UAE and GCC
Ramadan will throw a few wrenches into your last-mile delivery or logistics shipping efforts. Each region observes the holiday’s impact on commerce differently. For example, under the current UAE labor law, all employees’ working hours are reduced by 2 hours per day during the holy month (DMCC, 2016). That can be challenging when you need freight forwarding or have to deal with customs processing.
The other challenge is that demand for e-commerce and international goods spikes during Ramadan by around 20% to 40% (Arab News, 2025). This is driven by the need for different foods, the desire to provide gifts for friends and family, and a great deal of charitable activity tied to Zakat Al Fitr. The intensified month creates a peak season dynamic in which more goods move through the GCC, but with fewer available human resources.
The good news is that all ports and terminals remain operational, but with shorter administrative windows for clearance and yard operations, the need for even more structured logistics shipping grows.
International Shipping Bottlenecks and the Eid Al Fitr Cliff Edge
The most critical time during Ramadan is how Eid Al Fitr impacts the rest of logistics. While Ramadan will reduce throughput, Eid will completely shut it down. Everyone wants to be part of the dawn-to-dusk celebration, so most government offices and customs authorities are likely not in operation.
Without proper logistics operations, businesses can see a dip in clearance windows. Anything too close to the holiday will lead to vessels waiting in anchorage and containers stacked at ports. When delays of even 48 hours can lead to customer dissatisfaction, the cost of poor cold-chain warehousing or logistics planning can result in lost inventory and clients.
Ramadan also impacts delivery behavior. It’s common for urban areas to get more congested and daytime delivery windows to shrink. Without adjustments like having last-mile providers offer smaller vans to weave through urban corridors or technology that optimizes routes in real time, an increase in failed delivery attempts can quickly become a reality.
Operational Logistics During Ramadan: Tips and Tricks
There are many ways to adjust business operations during Ramadan to ensure proper logistics shipping and last-mile delivery. For starters, companies should consider using dark stores. These are retail locations repurposed to be fulfillment centers for online orders. The idea is to have a space where customers are more active, can contact your business, and then pick up deliveries in the nighttime hours.
While micro-fulfillment hubs help, working with a logistics provider experienced in operations during Ramadan is your best strategy. This experience is crucial to the region and Muslim clients. You want a team that understands that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are most sensitive to logistics efficiency, while Indonesia and Malaysia rely on e-commerce, and that Africa and Egypt have the most youthful buyers (Statista, 2021).
Some other tricks include shipping 3 to 4 weeks before the start of the month to avoid any late-Ramadan port congestion, which occurs later in the month and increases restocking needs with Eid. You can also note any documentation that is “Halal Certified” for smoother customs clearance.
It also helps to use technology and review your analytics of previous Holy months’ operations. That will provide a baseline demand forecast in advance of Ramadan. With that data, you can better coordinate freight partners for international shipping, aligning schedules with ports, airports, and customs to avoid physical and logistical delays.
Finally, leverage warehousing. Stock up early in the month with providers that offer cold-chain storage or temperature-controlled environments. This will help you replenish just-in-time deliveries so you are not exposed to a low inventory when there are clearance delays and port congestion. It’s best to have a provider who offers continuous monitoring, automated notifications, contingency routing, and pre-clears documentation to minimize holds.
Turning Ramadan Logistics Pressure into a Competitive Advantage
Ramadan is a wonderful time of year, but it also brings challenges. International shipping can quickly slow down due to traffic congestion, especially during business closure hours and around malls, mosques, and markets (Global Road Safety Partnership, 2012). The Holy month is one of the busiest online shopping periods of the year, with the UAE seeing a 140% year-over-year increase in online market spending (Khaleej Times, 2024), Kuwait recording the highest average order value, and Qatar expanding quickly into mobile commerce. Without proper planning, your business could miss out on the spike and the month-long momentum in demand.
Transcorp International is here to help you leverage Ramadan, ensuring you can continue regular logistics during the high demand and reduced working hours. From shipping to customs coordination and cold-chain warehousing, Transcorp helps you maintain reliability during one of the most culturally significant and demanding times of year.
With a foothold in 50 key cities throughout the GCC and a robust team of over 1,000 logistics professionals, Transcorp provides the support you need to operate smoothly during Ramadan. Contact us today and get the extra cushioning in logistics necessary to hit all your operational and client goals before, during, and after Ramadan.
References:
- Smartraveller. (2026). Travelling to destinations observing Ramadan. Australian Government — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved from https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/before-you-go/major-events/ramadan
- DMCC. (2016). Legal Corner: Working Hours in Ramadan. DMCC. Retrieved from https://dmcc.ae/blog/legal-corner-working-hours-in-ramadan
- Arab News. (2025). The rise of ‘phygital’ – Saudi e-commerce industry sees Ramadan Rush. Arab News. Retrieved from https://www.arabnews.com/node/2593733/business-economy
- Statista. (2021). Egypt — E-commerce Market: User Distribution by Age (Forecast). Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1391110/egypt-e-commerce-market-user-distribution-by-age/
- Global Road Safety Partnership. (2012). Arab World marks the holy month of Ramadan with increased traffic safety measures. Retrieved from https://www.grsproadsafety.org/arab-world-marks-the-holy-month-of-ramadan-with-increased-traffic-safety-measures/
- Khaleej Times. (2024, May 15). UAE sees a 140% surge in monthly online shoppers over the past 48 months. Retrieved from https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/uae-sees-a-140-surge-in-monthly-online-shoppers-on-the-past-48-months
