CUSTOMS-

The GCC will impose five-year anti-dumping duties on Chinese and Indian imports of ceramic sanitary ware, effective Tuesday, 8 July, according to a disclosure to Tadawul. The decision follows an investigation by the Technical Secretariat Office for Combating Harmful Practices in International Trade, which found that both countries engaged in dumping practices and caused material harm to the regional industry.

The details: The new duties — ranging from 33.8% to 51% for Chinese products and from 21.4% to 83.4% for Indian products — will be levied on ceramic sinks, washbasins and their pedestals, bathtubs, bidets, water closet pans, flushing cisterns, and urinals, among other similar items.

REMEMBER- The Kingdom imposed last December five-year anti-dumping tariffs ranging from 25.6% to 51% on imports of PVC-coated textiles and fabrics from China and South Korea and imports of sulfonatednaphthalene formaldehyde (a concrete additive) from Russia and China.

SHIPPING + MARITIME-

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) added a new shipping service 5CX by SeaLead to Jeddah Islamic Port, it said in a statement. The new service, which has a capacity of 1.5k containers, will link Jeddah to 10 major ports, including Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Nansha in China, Damietta in Egypt, Aliağa, İzmit, Istanbul, and Mersin in Turkey, and Klang in Malaysia.

STORAGE + WAREHOUSES-

Egypt and Belarus have agreed to explore the development of a logistics center for grain storage at an undisclosed Egyptian port, according to a statement released on Thursday. The facility will be used to serve both the local market and exports. Egypt’s Transport Ministry has expressed its willingness to designate a plot of land for the project — in collaboration with an undisclosed local partner — while Belarusian firms have expressed interest in investing in the project.

AVIATION-

The Algerian government is looking to establish a national company for domestic air transport by absorbing assets belonging to Tassili Airlines, the Algerian Press Service reported last week. The move aims to enhance geographic integration by strengthening air connectivity and contributing to economic and social development.

RAIL-

Itaminas taps Hafeet Rail to expand its regional iron exports: Hafeet Rail has inked a cooperation agreement with Brazilian iron ore producer Itaminas Comerico de Minerios (Itaminas) to support iron and steel supply chains in Brazil and Oman, Times of Oman reported on Thursday. The pair aim to establish a network for the transportation of iron ore by leveraging Hafeet’s Rail infrastructure and Sohar Port for the processing and importing of key materials. Iraminas aims to expand its exports to the region via Brazil’s Sudeste Port, which currently boasts a 6.5 mn ton annual production capacity.

FREIGHT FORWARDING-

STL + Aras Kargo team up on Syrian logistics: Syrian-Turkish Logistics Services Company (STL) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Istanbul-based logistics player Aras Kargo, Syrian public news agency Sana reported last week. Aras Kargo is set to handle global freight for inbound shipments to Syria, while STL will manage customs clearance and local distribution via its tracked network. For outbound shipments from Syria, STL will collect and package goods locally before handing them to Aras Kargo for international export. The partnership will allow STL to access global platforms and establish export channels for Syrian players.

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