CARGO-

#1- Oman Air has extended its contract with Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) to handle cargo and trucking services for the airline, according to a statement (pdf). As per the agreement, WFS — a subsidiary of the Singapore-based cargo services major SATS — will handle Oman Air’s cargo at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and provide trucking services to connect the cargo to 11 regional French airports. WFS will also provide Oman Air with perishable cargo services focused on pharma and animal products.

DATA POINT- Oman Air currently runs four weekly direct flights between Muscat and Paris, transporting 7.5k tonnes of cargo per year.

#2- Omani AI and drone services company Esbaar is set to launch cargo delivery using drones by the end of the year, Oman Observer reports. The new service will deploy delivery drones capable of carrying a payload of up to 700 kg and operating “at any time, above traffic and terrain, including in remote or real-time critical areas,” Esbaar’s cargo drones Project Manager Hamadi Ben Fatima told the news outlet.

About Esbaar: The Muscat-based firm’s original specialty is inspection, surveying, and mapping services using drones and AI-powered applications, according to their website. Esbaar uses and produces drones with beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), computer vision, and machine learning to cut down on company expenses and optimize data collection and handling.

Other regional drone delivery ventures: The Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation gave the green light in January for US delivery drone firm Matternet to launch its M2 drone in Saudi Arabia. Gulfnav also inked an MoU with eVtol outfit Wings Logistics Hub in January 2024 to use their drones for passengers and cargo transportation, firefighting, and mapping and surveillance across UAE ports. Talabat collaborated with Muscat Bay to launch Oman’s first drone food delivery service in 2022.

SHIPPING + MARITIME-

#1-The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) added CMA CGM’s MEDEX shipping service to Jeddah Islamic Port, according to a statement. The new service — with a capacity of 10k TEUs — will connect the port with 12 regional and global ports, including Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali in the UAE, Karachi in Pakistan, Mundra and Nhava Sheva in India, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Piraeus and Malta in Greece, Genoa in Italy, Fos in France, and Barcelona and Valencia in Spain.

ICYMI- Mawani has recently added three new SeaLead shipping services, including WARM with a handling capacity of up to 600 TEUs, 5CX with a 1.5k standard container capacity and RESIN with a 1k standard container capacity.

#2- Premier Marine Shipyards debuts Rawabi 73: The UAE’s ship repair and building facility Premier Marine Shipyards has launched the Rawabi 73, a 70-meter anchor-handling tug supply vessel, according to Trade Arabia. The vessel, described as its most advanced offshore support ship, is poised to offer a wide range of services, including anchor-handling, towing, and subsea support. The Rawabi 73 was custom-built for Vallianz Shipbuilding & Engineering, a Vallianz Holdings Ltd. subsidiary.

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