RAIL-

Aprin dry port receives its first Russia rail service: Iran’s Aprin dry port received the first scheduled Russian rail freight service on Saturday, marking a milestone for the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC), Tehran Times reports. The train carried Russian paper and pulp products on top of 62 containers, passing through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan before reaching Iran in a twelve-day trip.

REMEMBER- Russia and Iran have big rail ambitions: Russia is planning to invest a EUR1.6 bn in the Rasht-Astara railway, a 162 km connection that is set to close the loop for the planned INSTC’s multimodal routes stretching over 7.2k km. The construction of the link is set to begin in 2026, after Iran cleared the required land acquisitions from Russia earlier this month.

ENERGY-

Noatum Maritime to operate maritime services in Bahrain’s LNG terminal: AD Ports Group subsidiary Noatum Maritime secured a five-year contract to provide maritime services at Bahrain’s LNG Import Terminal, according to a statement released on Thursday. Services provided under the agreement include towage operations, berthing, and unberthing of LNG carriers and floating storage units. The firm will also supply emergency response and standby support services.

About the terminal: The terminal — managed by Bahrain LNG — is located near Khalifa Bin Salman Port, and boasts a storage capacity of 173k cbm, and up to 800 mn scf/d of regasification capacity.

CAPITAL MARKETS-

Adnoc Logistics & Services was the only UAE stock added to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, following its USD 317 mn follow-on offering in August, which lifted its freefloat to roughly 22% and quadrupled average daily trading volumes, it said in a press release (pdf) issued on Thursday. The move makes it the fourth Adnoc unit to be added to the benchmark, joining Adnoc Gas, Adnoc Drilling, and Adnoc Distribution. Broker estimates cited in the company’s statement suggest the inclusion could attract more than USD 200 mn in passive inflows.

E-MOBILITY-

UAE’s Space42 and South Korea’s Autonomous A2Z have launched a joint venture to localize the production of level-4 autonomous vehicles, according to a press release from Thursday. The two firms will retrofit existing fleets, deploy vehicle-to-everything technologies, and eventually build a local workshop and R&D program. The initiative will target public transport, logistics, industrial zones, airports, and tourism sectors.

REMEMBER- The JV was first announced in October, when the two said they wanted to create a self-driving ecosystem in Abu Dhabi.

SUPPLY CHAINS-

Maersk + Unilever to deploy e-van in Saudi: Danish logistics solutions giant Moller-Maersk partnered up with Unilever to launch their first electric van in Jeddah, in efforts to scale up electric mobility across the Kingdom, according to a statement released on Thursday. The van, serving Unilever’s retail partner BinDawood Group, will cover some 3.5 km per month across a 50 km radius in the city. The new van will support the pair’s joint operations at the Maersk Logistics Park in Jeddah.

Not their first partnership: Unilever is a major tenant at Maersk’s Logistics Park. Last year, Unilever integrated six warehouses into a single fulfillment center at the park, aiming to cut emissions by 5%.

AVIATION-

ADQ-owned Etihad Airport Services rebranded itself as Velora, bringing together the firm’s three subsidiaries for ground handling, cargo and logistics, and security services under a single platform, according to a statement released on Thursday. Velora will now oversee daily operations for the services at Abu Dhabi’s airports, bringing to the table over 5k skilled workers.

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