Good morning, friends — and welcome to the busiest issue we’ve had in a while. We have everything from updates on private sector activity in the GCC and Egypt, to speculations that a Turkish port could be on the docket for sale to Gulf investors.

HAPPENING TODAY-

StalledCanada port labor negotiations halt USD 19 bn worth of trade: Strikes at Canada’s western ports have halted vessel servicing since 30 June, with some 29 ports on the country’s west coast coming to a standstill as negotiations stall, CNBC reports, citing sources from the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

What’s the beef? Members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) are on strike over differences with employers about wage increases, concerns over automation, and contracting out, the Globe and Mail writes. After negotiating that took place over four days, talks have been put on hold pending further discussion with federal mediators, the BCMEA told CNBC.

The strike “could have a significant impact on transpacific cargo flows, with the ports typically accepting a combined average of 34 container vessels or 289.7k TEU capacity per month,” a senior trade analyst at VesselsValue told the outlet. The value of the 289.7k containers is USD 19 bn, according to Canadian customs data cited by the outlet. Some of the products held at a standstill include autoparts, manufacturing parts, and consumer goods.

DATA POINT- Customs declarations handled by Dubai Customs rose 10%y-o-y to 12.3 mn in 1H 2023, Emirati news agency Wamreports, citing Dubai Customs Director General Ahmed Mahboob Musabih. Dubai Customs saw an average of 48 declarations per minute, and users of its “smart services” have reported a satisfaction rate of 98%.

WATCH THIS SPACE- Iraq could use its under-construction Faw Port to transport gas to Turkey and Europe, head of the country’s House Transport and Communication Committee Zahra Al Bajari said, according to Zawya. Once the multi-bn-USD port is completed in 2025, Qatar and other regional gas producers can use it to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to Al Bajari. Iraq has reportedly tapped a consultancy firm to assess the feasibility of a gas transport project that involves Faw Port and the 1.2k km Development Road rail link connecting Iraq to Turkey.

ENTERPRISE IS LOOKING FOR SMART, TALENTED PEOPLE of all backgrounds to help us build some very cool new things. Enterprise — the essential morning read on all the important news shaping business and the economy in Egypt and the region — is looking for writers, reporters and editors to help us build out new publications. Today, we run four daily Egypt and MENA-focused publications, five weekly industry verticals, and a weekend lifestyle edition designed to make our readers feel just a bit smarter.

We have tons more in the pipeline — come help us build new publications. We offer the chance to work in a fast-paced newsroom on a broad range of topics and in a variety of formats. Our goal is simple: To create value for our growing community of >250k daily readers by telling stories that matter.

NEVER WORKED IN A NEWSROOM BEFORE? We have the Enterprise Business Writing Development Program. Whether you are a recent graduate, an industry vet, or looking to switch careers, the Enterprise Business Writing Development Program will give you the tools you need to tell the most important stories to our audience of C-suite officials, government ministers, diplomats, financiers, investors and entrepreneurs.

Not an internship program — a career: The three-month program will see full-time, paid participants take part in workshops and lectures from veteran business journalists on subject matter knowledge, while also working on constructing and filing Enterprise stories that will run on any of our publications. Those who have successfully completed the program, will then be given long-term job offers.

Apply directly to jobs@enterprisemea.com and mention “writing development program” in your subject line.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS- The Enterprise Finance Forum is taking place on 18-19 September at the St. Regis Hotel in Cairo. This flagship forum is the latest in our must-attend series of invitation-only, C-suite-level gatherings that allow senior members of our community to openly and frankly discuss critical issues in key sectors of the economy.

Day one is our Banking Forum, where we’ll dive deep into topics of interest to commercial and investment bankers, from an outlook on the 12 months to come in M&A, IPO, and debt capital markets to the national, regional, and global trends that are (re)shaping our industry.

Day two is all about Fintech and Non-Banking Financial Services. We’ll take a deep dive into everything from the magic of client acquisition to the prospects of consolidation and the coming of challenger banks.

** NEW: MORE NETWORKING TIME- Our agenda includes expanded networking time, including an expanded coffee break and a post-event networking room for you to interact with your peers and speak one-on-one with the team at Enterprise.

TAP OR CLICK HERE if you want to express interest in attending. We’ll be sending out the first batch of invitations just after the 30 June holiday.

Do you want to become a commercial partner? Ping a note to Moustafa Taalab, our head of commercial, or fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.

STAY TUNED for more detail about our agenda in the weeks to come.

MISSED THE ENTERPRISE EXPORTS AND FDI FORUM? Tune in to the Enterprise Podcast to hear what went down: The Enterprise Podcast is back with another installment of our forum series, where we bring you audio recordings of what was said on stage at the Enterprise Exports and FDI Forum,which took place last May.

IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE- We looked at how Egyptian companies can identify and pitch foreign partners and how they can identify them. We asked how do companies figure out what they’re looking for — and whether that dovetails with what they want or need. We were joined on that panel by Hossam Abou Moussa, partner at PE firm Apis, Cheick-Oumar Sylla, director for North Africa and Horn of Africa at the International Finance Corporation, and Hassan Massoud, associate director and head of private equity (Southern Mediterranean) at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Expect us to drop an episode every Sunday morning. You can listen to the Enterprise Podcast where ever you get your podcasts including: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcast | Anghami.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment ProtectionCommittee session kicked off earlier this week and is running until tomorrow at the IMO HQ in London, with in person and hybrid participation. The session’s main agenda is to adopt an upgraded IMO greenhouse gas strategy and reduction targets for the marine sector. The session will also look at ballast water and biofouling management, marine litter, guidelines for underwater noise, a global shipping tax, and the environmental risks of ship-to-ship transfers.

Postal operator Emirates Post Group (EPG) is launching its annual robotics competition, Logistics Unleashed, which will be running from September to November in the UAE. The event, conducted as an educational program, comes as an effort to promote logistics and “bridge the gap between academia and industry,” according to the statement.

Details: The competition will select three teams of 2-4 students with at least one Emirati national, to build a robot as a solution to the competition’s case study. Each group will receive AED 5k to purchase the materials required, and upon completion will receive a monetary reward. Registration for the competition ends on 28 August.

Check out our full calendar at the bottom of this email for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events and news triggers.

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