Good morning, friends. The news cycle is picking up vigor, leaving us with a packed issue as we head into the weekend. Leading the news well today are M&A updates from Saudi and the UAE, followed by fleet expansion and aerospace projects news from Saudi and Morocco. Let’s get the ball rolling.

HAPPENING TODAY-

The Global Rail Transport Infrastructure Exhibition and Conference is on its last day in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. The event is hosted by Etihad Rail and is attended by over 200 global speakers, including top executives from Etihad Rail, Dubai Airports, Korea National Railway, Keolis, DHL Global Forwarding, Parsons, Saudi Arabia Railway, and Talgo.

The Saudi Maritime and Logistics Congress is on its last day in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The event is hosting over 200 registered exhibitors and some 15k attendees from over 90 countries to discuss AI-powered fleet optimization, shifts in global trade, and intelligence-driven infrastructure. Speakers include the Kingdom’s Transport Minister Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Bahri CEO Ahmed Alsubaey, and King Abdullah Port CEO Jay New.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- #1- Gulftainer eyes USD 1 bn investment in Egypt’s ports: Sharjah-based private port operator Gulftainer is planning to invest USD 1 bn in Egypt’s container terminal management and port logistics services, according to an Egyptian Commercial Representation Service statement. This came during a meeting between Egyptian Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir and company officials on the sidelines of the World Maritime Day Parallel Event in Dubai. The company is looking at managing and operating container terminals in East Port Said, Alexandria, or Damietta.

What’s next? A delegation from the company will visit Egypt soon to assess opportunities ahead of potential agreements.

ALSO- UAE maritime players are in active talks with Bangladeshi officials for potential investments in Bangladeshi ports — including Bangladesh’s Chittagong port, shipping consultant and Bangladeshi government member Sakhawat Hussain told state news agency Wam. Initial discussions already took place with several undisclosed Emirati players to acquire a major Bangladeshi port and manage its operations, Hussain noted, without providing any specific details.

UAE majors have been eying Chittagong for some time: AD Ports inked an MoU in 2024 to explore the development and operation of a multi-purpose terminal in Chittagong port. Dubai-based port operator DP World was also linked to Chittagong, with reports last January saying the firm is exploring investing in a new terminal.

Other international players have already secured spots in Chittagong: Saudi firm Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT) said last January it is planning to invest up to USD 200 mn in Chittagong Port’s Patenga Container Terminal — which it already manages through a 22-year concession. Maersk’s subsidiary APM Terminals also broke ground on the construction of the Laldia Container Terminal in Chittagong in May, as part of a 20-year build-operate-transfer concession.

#2- Etihad Rail is looking to launch a bonded rail corridor linking Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port to Fujairah port terminals, after signing an MoU with Abu Dhabi Customs, Fujairah Customs, AD Ports Group, Fujairah Terminals, and Noatum Logistics to advance the project, according to a statement. The rail project will also connect the two ports to their adjacent freezones, forming a “customs corridor” that could help reduce clearance times through coordinated customs operations.

The rail route will begin pilot operations in 4Q, with CEO Shadi Malak noting that the first freight trip — which would also link DP World in Dubai with the other emirates — could happen within two weeks, Zawya reports.

Etihad Rail is planning expansions into its rail freight network, intending to displace big volumes of goods moved off roads to cut the sector’s emissions by 21%, the National reports, citing remarks from Etihad Rail’s freight chief Omar Al Sebeyi. The country’s aggregate line — the national network’s main load in terms of volume — is currently at 100% capacity, moving 50k tons of aggregate per day.

#3- Egypt extends probe into Chinese, Turkish steel: Chinese and Turkish steel sheet exporters are still not off the hook over dumping allegations, with the Egyptian Investment Ministry extending its year-long anti-dumping investigation by another six months, according to a decision published in the Official Gazette. The investigation into cold-rolled, galvanized, and coated steel sheets originating in or exported from China and Turkey will now run for a total of 18 months and wrap up by the end of April.

The news follows a raft of incentives for the three types of steel sheets just last week, courtesy of the Industry Ministry, which said it was seeking to expand Egypt’s industrial base, cut reliance on imports, and boost exports. Also helping local producers are recently introduced safeguard tariffs, with an 11.1% tariff on cold-rolled steel, a 12.6% levy on galvanized steel sheets, and a 4.9% charge on colored steel sheets coming into effect last month.

DISRUPTION WATCH-

Houthis pledge to target US oil trade: Yemen’s Houthi militants have sanctioned 13 US oil firms, nine executives, and two vessels, according to a statement by the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC), a Houthi-run platform. The group said they plan to target these entities for facilitating the “export, re-export, transport, loading, purchase, or sale of U.S. crude oil… whether directly or indirectly, including ship-to-ship (STS) transfers, in whole or in part, including through third parties.”

Among the targeted entities are US oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron — both active in the regional oil trade. For example, we know Chevron — whose subsidiary Chevron Supply and Trading was named in the Houthi list — has turned to the Middle East for crude supplies as an alternative to Venezuelan oil, and its shipping routes traversing the region were once targeted in 2023 when Iran seized one of its tankers in the Arabian Gulf. Despite rising tensions in the Red Sea last year, Chevron made no “fundamental changes” to its shipping routes, implementing a ship-by-ship security analysis for each voyage, CEO Mike Wirth told Bloomberg then.

It’s unclear how the Houthis intend to target these US companies, or how disruptive their actions might be to crude flows to and from the region. “It remains unclear whether these sanctions signal that the Houthis will begin targeting vessels linked to the sanctioned organizations,” but the impact on regional crude flows is expected to be minimal since they are usually handled by non-US players, founder of US-based Risk Advisory Basha Report Mohammed Albasha wrote on LinkedIn.

IN CONTEXT- The Houthis said that the sanctions are in retaliation against Washington’s airstrikes on Yemen and come in response to a spate of US sanctions imposed on the militant group this year, despite an Oman-brokered truce between Yemen and the US reached last May, the statement said.

ALSO- Houthis have claimed responsibility for this week’s attack on a Dutch-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Aden, Reuters reports. The Houthis claimed they targeted the ship because its owner had defied the “entry ban to the ports of occupied Palestine,” Houthis spokesperson Yahya Sarea said (watch, runtime: 1:01).

MARKET WATCH-

#1- Oil prices increased this morning as fears of new sanctions on Russian oil trade, tightening global supplies, weighed in, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures rose by USD 0.37 to USD 65.72 / bbl as of 04.01 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained USD 0.34 to trade at USD 62.12 / bbl.

MEANWHILE- The long-standing “Saudi put” that once kept oil markets from sliding too low has faded, with the Kingdom flooding the market this year even as futures slumped into the USD 60s, Bloomberg argued. Instead, China has quietly taken up the stabilizing role by stockpiling and pulling excess barrels from the market, diverting them into strategic reserves. By absorbing supplies that might otherwise swell visible in Western inventories, China has muted downward pressure on global benchmarks.

That shift leaves prices unusually reliant on China’s stockpiling appetite. For now, it’s offsetting forecasts of a looming glut through next year, but traders warn that if Chinese reserve building slows, the market could face a sharper correction than current prices suggest.

By the numbers: The kingdom’s crude exports climbed to 6.42 mn bbl / d in September — the highest in a year and a half — Bloomberg reports, citing its tanker-tracking data. Shipments rose by just over 600k bbl / d, compared to August, indicating that the global market is finally receiving the Kingdom’s share of Opec+ output hikes. However, Saudi Arabia was expected to export less crude oil to China in September, down from August volumes that were at a more than two-year high.

#2- Aramco cut its October contract prices for liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to the lowest levels since August 2023, trimming propane to USD 495 per ton and butane to USD 475 per ton, Bloomberg reported yesterday. The move caught traders off guard, coming in around USD 50 below their market expectations.

Future volumes in question: The price drop follows hesitancy among term buyers to lock in the same volumes from Aramco for 2026 that they had agreed to this year, traders told the business news service. Negotiations over next year’s term supply are still underway, with traders suggesting that the October cut signals Aramco may keep prices favorable in the year ahead.

The lower contract price sheds light on the intensifying competition between Middle Eastern suppliers and US exporters. This “supply battle” comes after the US shipped a record volume of LPG to Indonesia last month — a key demand hub alongside India, Samantha Hartke, head of market analysis for the Americas at Vortexa, told the news service.

#3- Baltic index continues to fall: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — declined 154 points to 1,980, its lowest since 5 September. The capesize decreased 415 points to 2,890, while the panamax index shed 51 points to 1,725. The smaller supramax index eased 6 points to 1,467.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The UK will host the Marine Environment Protection Committee Extraordinary Session from Tuesday, 14 October until Friday, 17 October at the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) HQ in London. The session is set to see the intergovernmental body formally adopt its Net-Zero Framework — rolling out new fuel standards for ships and a global pricing mechanism for emissions.

Belgium will host the AntwerpXL on Tuesday, 14 October until Thursday, 16 October in Antwerp. The expo will host 3.8k project cargo, break bulk, RoRo, heavy lift, and industry experts to expand collaborations. It will co-locate with the Transport and Logistics conference and exhibition.

Morocco will host the International Forum and Expo on Mobility, Transport, and Logistics (Logiterre) on Thursday, 16 October until Saturday, 18 October in Casablanca. Logiterre will host main operators within the industry from West and Central Africa.

The UAE will host the Adipec Maritime and Logistics Exhibition and Conference on Monday, 3 November until Thursday, 6 November in Abu Dhabi. The conference will host over 250k attendees working in government entities, finance, and tech.

The UAE will host the Air Cargo Forum on Tuesday, 4 November until Thursday, 6 November in Abu Dhabi. The forum — hosted by Etihad Cargo — will bring together air freight industry leaders, policymakers, innovators, and stakeholders to discuss industry solutions, tech, strategies, and collaborative initiatives for global air logistics.

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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