Good morning, everyone. We have yet another calm issue for you today, as the newscycle winds down near the end of the week.

THE BIG LOGISTICS STORIES- DHL will start using Etihad Rail for freight operations in the UAE freight operations under a 20-year partnership, while Maersk is set to launch a new streamlined shipping service connecting MENA and GCC countries.

KSA’s Duba Port becomes Port of Neom: The primary seaport of entry for Saudi Arabia, Duba Port, has been renamed Port of Neom, according to a statement from KSA’s Neom economic zone. This comes as KSA is working to overhaul and transform local ports into logistics hubs, according to Neom. The port is currently undergoing SAR 7.5 bn expansion and redesign works to meet rising volumes of cargo, including container and general cargo, and to turn it into a fully sustainable and advanced port, before its first container terminal becomes operational in 2025, according to the statement. Duba Port was previously managed by Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani), but had its management transferred to Neom in 2022.

The Black Sea grain pact has been extended for two more months, a day before Russia was expected to abandon it, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed yesterday. The UN- and Turkey-brokered Black Sea crop export corridor allowed grain exports to leave Ukraine’s ports safely over the past year. “We still do not lose hope that the problems that we are raising will be sorted out,” Russia's ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said, Reuters reports. Concerns and outstanding issues remain, but Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN will continue discussions to iron them out, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “Looking ahead, we hope that exports of food and fertilizers, including ammonia, from the Russian Federation and Ukraine will be able to reach global supply chains safely and predictably,” Guterres is quoted as saying.

Background: Russia had threatened to withdraw from the pact until Western countries address its concerns about sanctions against its exports.

WATCH THIS SPACE #1- TAQA and NGDC partner on JV in KSA: Saudi Arabia’s Natural Gas Distribution Company (NGDC) has entered into partnership agreement with Egypt-based energy, utility, and gas distributor, TAQA Arabia (TAQA) to establish a limited liability company in the Kingdom, according to an NGDC disclosure on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul). The companies had previously signed an MoU in 2022 to develop and operate gas transportation services and gas networks.

WATCH THIS SPACE #2- Feasibility studies complete for GCC railway: The feasibility and traffic studies for a 2.1k km railway connecting the six GCC countries have been completed, Gulf railway specialist Nasser Al Qahtani told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of Middle East Rail. The rollout for the project is expected soon, he said, adding that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are the furthest along in developing the local transport infrastructure for the project. The GCC Railway Authority is coordinating with each country to ensure that they follow uniform standards and guidelines in building the railway, Al Qahtani said.

WATCH THIS SPACE #3-Bahrain International Airport will have a cargo capacity of 1.6 mn tons following the launch of its new cargo express village, the first phase of which will be complete by 2023, Chief Development and Technical Officer Abdulla Janahi said, according to a company statement. The village will feature warehouses, aircraft parking, and associated infrastructure.

DATA POINT- Four road projects worth BAD 9.5 mn took up the lion’s share of the country’s investments in infrastructure projects in April, according to state-owned Bahrain News Agency. The projects include maintenance work on Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Causeway and phase two of the South Bahrain Ring Road.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The UAE Maritime Week kicked off this week at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and is running until tomorrow. The week will bring together stakeholders from local maritime markets in a series of in-person events and conferences to explore maritime opportunities across the UAE.

The Seatrade Maritime Logistics Middle East kicked off this week at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and will wrap up today. The conference, which will comprise a trade show, conference tracks and networking, will connect ship owners, shipyards, port operators, government representatives, and industry professionals from across the MENA region.

The 35thIATA Ground Handling Conference, hosted by Etihad, kicked off this week at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, and is on its last day today. The event brings together global industry leaders from airlines, airports, ground service providers and manufacturers to network and discuss industry trends and developments.

TheElectric Vehicle Innovation Summit 2023 will take place in Abu Dhabi between 29-31 May. The event is the first of its kind in the MENA region and brings together researchers, engineers, officials, and organizations involved in the EV scene, presenting attendees with opportunities to network across value chains and exchange ideas.

The 79th IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit will take place from 4-6 June, in the Hilton Bomonti in Istanbul, Turkey. The event will gather airline leaders from across the globe to discuss post-pandemic aviation, airline sustainability, operational challenges from the past year and the future of aviation, according to the event program (pdf).

Check out our full calendar at the bottom of this email for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events and news triggers.