Oasis Drinks Supply Update: Demand Holds While Gulf Shipping Delays Slow Restocking

Container lines have avoided the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict escalated at the start of March, when carriers suspended Gulf transits and introduced war risk and emergency conflict surcharges, and insurers withdrew cover for the waterway (The National, 2 March 2026). The situation has not normalised. In its 22 October report, Drewry noted that security risks and attacks on ships continue to affect vessel movements through the Gulf, with only two containerships sailing into the Gulf in week 42, down from five the week before (Drewry World Container Index, 22 October 2026).

Cargo for the UAE is therefore landing at ports outside the strait, on the country's east coast, and crossing to Dubai by road. That route works, but it adds handling, time and cost to every container. Spinneys told Gulf News that sea freight which normally takes about 30 days stretched to 100 to 120 days for some shipments at the height of the disruption in March, and that its average delays fell from 38 days in March to nine days in June as it rebuilt its routes (Gulf News, 12 August 2026). Delays have eased from that peak, but they have not returned to normal, and every importer of drinks in the country is working with the same constraint.

The UAE imports roughly 85 to 90 percent of the food it consumes, and food is among the categories most exposed when freight and insurance costs rise (Gulf Business, 1 June 2026). Beverages are heavy, low-value cargo by weight, so they are the first to feel a longer route and a surcharge per container. When a shipment that was planned to land in eight weeks lands in sixteen, the stock that should have bridged the gap runs out, and the shelf shows it. That pattern is playing out at trading and distribution companies across the country, not only at Seoul Oasis, and the availability figures retailers have published this year reflect it: Spinneys reported product availability of 83 to 88 percent in the second quarter.

We ask for patience. The orders for the affected Oasis lines were placed, the stock exists, and it is moving. What has changed is how long the journey takes and how many hands it passes through on the way.

• Oasis coconut water with pulp, 500ml. In stock as a single can and as a carton of 24. This is the line to order while the 330ml is away.
• Oasis coconut water with pulp, 330ml. The can and the carton are restocking. Use the notify option on the product page and it will tell you the day stock lands.
• Oasis Sparkling, single cans. Blueberry, strawberry, mango and lime are in stock in the Oasis Sparkling Drinks collection. Lychee and peach are restocking.
• Oasis Sparkling, cartons of 24. Restocking across the range. The cartons collection carries the notify option on each flavour.

Availability changes as shipments clear, so the product page is the reliable source on any given day, not this article.

The cost of landing a container in the UAE has moved a long way from where it stood a year ago. At the start of the disruption Hapag-Lloyd set a war risk surcharge of USD 1,500 per standard container on Gulf cargo, and CMA CGM an emergency conflict surcharge of USD 2,000 per 20-foot and USD 3,000 per 40-foot dry container, with higher rates for reefers, as reported by The National. Spinneys told Gulf News that a container which cost around USD 3,000 before the crisis rose to USD 17,000 during it, and that prices have since eased but remain well above normal. Drewry's global composite index stood at USD 4,585 per 40-foot container on 22 October, its highest level in 15 weeks.

Those costs sit on top of the product, the duty and the excise, and they are shared across every can in the container. Market prices for imported drinks in the UAE are therefore seeing adjustments as new shipments land at the new freight and surcharge levels, and buyers should expect this across brands and suppliers rather than at any single company. We do not publish prices in articles because they change; the live price on each Oasis product page is the reference, and trade customers with standing orders will hear from the wholesale team directly before any change that affects them.

1. Switch sizes rather than wait. The 500ml coconut water carton is in stock and serves the same customer as the 330ml.
2. Use the notify option on any unavailable product. It sends one message on the day stock is received, and it is the fastest signal we have.
3. Trade customers: tell the wholesale team your weekly volume through the contact page. Incoming stock is allocated to standing orders first, and a known volume is easier to protect than an unknown one.
4. Order single cans to keep a flavour on the menu while a carton is in transit. The guide to Oasis Sparkling by the carton covers how restaurants and caterers size an order once cartons are back.

For the coconut water line, our coconut water wholesale guide for cafes and juice bars sets out the 330ml and 500ml formats, and the guide to the full Oasis range covers every line we carry.

The replacement shipment is on the water and is taking longer to arrive than it did before the Gulf shipping disruption. The 500ml can and carton are in stock in the meantime.

Stock is arriving in stages and we do not publish arrival dates, because routings change while a vessel is at sea. The notify option on each carton page is the reliable way to know.

Market prices for imported drinks in the UAE are adjusting as shipments land at current freight and surcharge levels. The live price on each product page is the reference, and trade customers with standing orders are informed directly before any change that affects them.

No. Oasis coconut water and Oasis Sparkling ship and store at ambient temperature within the shelf life printed on the pack, and every shipment is handled under HACCP food safety controls and complies with UAE food import standards.

Yes. Send your weekly volume and the lines you need through the contact page, and the wholesale team will confirm what can be allocated from the next arrival.

We will update this page as shipments clear. In the meantime, the Oasis drinks collection shows what is available today, and we thank our customers and trade partners for their patience.