Good morning, nice people. We’re starting the week with an issue full to the brim, led by a spate of projects’ updates spanning all things logistics from across the region. The issue also have the latest PMI readings — and they’re looking good for the UAE’s and Lebanon’s non-oil private sectors. PLUS: We sat down with Egytrans, or rather now Egytrans-Nosco, CEO Abir Leheta to discuss what’s next after the reverse merger with Nosco. Let’s get the ball rolling.

HAPPENING THIS WEEK-

The Rail Industry Summit will kick off tomorrow and run until Wednesday, 10 December in El Jadida, Morocco. The two-day event will bring together 130 exhibitors, 250 companies, and more than 900 participants from 15 countries, and will host business meetings, high-level panels, and hands-on workshops focused on new market trends and future rail strategies.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Kabul taps DP World for possible port upgrades: Afghanistan’s Finance Ministry inked an MoU with port operator DP World to explore modernizing key dry and river ports at landlocked Afghanistan, according to a statement by the state news outlet Bakhtar News Agency on X. Under the MoU, a first phase of the project would cover upgrades to port infrastructure in the river port city of Hairatan and the border city of Torkham, while later phases would cover enhancements to other logistics corridors as well as economic zones across Afghanistan, the independent outlet Pajhwok Afghan News reported, citing the Afghani Deputy Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Mufti Abdullah Azam.

What else we know: The agreement is structured as a public–private partnership (PPP), and will see DP World undertake a technical and financial feasibility study before finalizing a concession, state news agency Wam reports.

#2- Rabat to officially launch NWM port by end of 2026: Morocco is set to formally launch commercial operations at the Nador West Med (NWM) port by the end of 2026, instead of previously planned 2027, General Manager Mohamed Jamal Benjelloun told Asharq Business on Thursday. The port — backed by a MAD 40 bn (c. USD 4.2 bn) government investment — will feature Morocco’s first LNG import terminal, with a peak storage capacity of 175k cbm and a delivery schedule for 1H 2027.

REMEMBER- NWM reportedly began operations ahead of schedule by exporting a shipment of wind turbines produced in Nador by the Chinese firm Aeolon last week. The shipment is bound for a European port, with more exports expected to continue at a regular pace in the coming weeks.

#3- The shipping industry’s return to the Suez Canal is still TBD — and any return will be gradual, Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said in an online call with customers, Reuters reported on Thursday. Despite the Houthis committing to stop their attack on passing vessels following October’s Gaza ceasefire agreement, the shipping line is still closely monitoring the security situation before deciding to properly return to the canal, he said.

But when a date is set, don’t expect vessels to come streaming back immediately, with a planned transition period of 60-90 days to reduce any congestion issues and give time for logistics operators to prepare.

#4- Adnoc is among several potential investors reportedly in talks with the German government to buy the trading unit of Securing Energy for Europe GmbH (Sefe), the former trading and supply arm of Russian gas firm Gazprom, Bloomberg reported last week, citing people familiar with the matter. The government is eyeing several options, which could include carving out the trading unit and separating it from strategic gas assets, or pursuing privatization through a public share offering as they look at reprivatization from “all angles,” the sources said.

Sefe? The company was nationalized in 2022 in a EUR 6.3 bn transaction at a time when the energy crisis was at its peak, but the European Commission now demands that the government reduce its stake in the firm, which is still importing Russian LNG to Europe through France on the back of a legacy contract. The company is currently expanding its LNG assets and recently acquired German gas grid operator Wiga in an effort to boost its valuation ahead of the exit. The government had tapped JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank to work on the privatization process.

ICYMI- This comes after the European Union (EU) voted last week to phase out its Russian energy imports, with late 2026 scheduled for halting Russian LNG imports and September 2027 for pipeline natural gas, Reuters reported last week. Meanwhile, the EU penciled in 1Q 2026 for a vote on a plan to halt Russian oil imports as soon as 2027. Russia accounted for 12% of the EU’s natural gas imports as of October — significantly down from the pre-Ukraine invasion share of 45%.

#5- GCC advances unified civil aviation authority plan + taps UAE as HQ: The Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has approved a proposal to establish a unified civil aviation authority for the Gulf region, advancing a plan that could unify aviation regulations and integrate operations across the six GCC members, according to a statement released last week. The GCC also named the UAE as the headquarters for the new authority. No further details about the plan were disclosed.

DISRUPTION WATCH-

A bulk carrier passing through Bab el-Mandeb Strait was attacked on Friday by what are suspected to be Somali pirates, Lloyd’s List reported over the weekend, citing the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. The Handysize vessel (31,896 dwt) — alleged to be the Barbados-flagged vessel Bobik — was attacked twice by armed men on 15 skiff boats, but the vessel’s armed guards aboard returned fire, and the crew was reported to be safe, the maritime news outlet reported, citing security sources from the region.

The attack is the latest in a string of incidents in the area believed to be linked to Somali piracy last month, adding a new challenge to the push for a smooth return to normal in the Red Sea route a few months after Houthis paused their attacks since the uneasy Gaza ceasefire.

MARKET WATCH-

#1– Oil prices rose this morning amid predictions that an expected US interest rate cut would spur growth and energy demands, as well as growing geopolitical risks to Venezuelan and Russian oil supplies, Reuters reported. Brent crude futures rose USD 0.09 to trade at USD 63.84 / bbl as of 03:21 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up USD 0.08 to USD 60.16 / bbl. The slight increase today, on top of a rate surge on Friday, brought oil prices to a two-week high.

Meanwhile in the region, Aramco lowered the price of its main Arab Light crude for Asia to USD 1.50 / bbl, a USD 0.6 premium over the Oman-Dubai benchmark, according to reports by Bloomberg and Argaam. This marks the lowest level since January 2021 and comes in line with expectations. Arab Heavy and Arab Medium fell by USD 0.60 / bbl versus the Oman-Dubai average, while Arab Extra Light and Arab Super Light were reduced by USD 0.20 / barrel, Mees reports.

IN CONTEXT- The move comes amid persistent signs of a global oil surplus, with crude prices down about 16% this year due to strong supply from the Americas and Opec+ output.

SPEAKING OF- Opec’s crude output held largely steady in November at just over 29 mn bbl / d, reflecting a cautious stance amid growing signs of a global oil surplus, a Bloomberg survey showed. A 60k bbl / d uptick from the UAE was offset by minor declines in Iran, Gabon, and Saudi Arabia.

ICYMI– Opec+ agreed to freeze production increases in 1Q 2026 to manage seasonal demand softness and gauge geopolitical risks to Russian and Venezuelan supplies. The decision keeps 3.24 mn bbl / d of production cuts in place, representing some 3% of global demand.

#2– Baltic index breaks its upward streak: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — decreased 3.1% to 2,727 points on Friday due to downward pressure across all segments. The capesize dropped 4.4% to 5,083, while the panamax index shed 1.4% to 1,837 points, and the smaller supramax index eased by 5 points to 1,436.

#3– The Drewry World Container Index increased by 7% to USD 1,927 per 40-ft container on Thursday, according to the latest index readings. The upward jump followed three weeks of decline and was attributed to hikes on Transpacific and Asia–Europe trade routes. Rates for Transpacific headhaul shipping recovered, with Shanghai to Los Angeles spot rates surging 8% to USD 2,256 per 40-ft container, while Shanghai to New York rates rose 6% to USD 2,895.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Saudi Arabia is hosting the Saudi Airport Exhibition on Tuesday, 16 December until Wednesday, 17 December in Riyadh. Upward of 10k global attendees are expected to participate in the event from over 100 countries. The two-day event will focus on airport-related innovation, and will feature participation from Saudia, SolitAir, and Amadeus.

Saudi Arabia is hosting SkyMove Air Cargo MENA on Tuesday, 27 January until Wednesday, 28 January in Riyadh. The event is expected to welcome more than 600 attendees from over 60 countries. The event will unite the whole air cargo value chain, analyze market trends, mitigate potential challenges, and leverage emerging windows.

The UAE is hosting the Middle East ProcureTech Summit on Tuesday, 27 January until Wednesday, 28 January in Dubai. The two-day event will spotlight the shifts in the procurement sector, paying special attention to digital and cloud procurement, and provide a networking platform for executives and industry innovators.

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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