Ports in India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Greece, Italy, and France have been floated as junctions in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the Hindu cites “official sources” as saying. The inner workings of the logistics megaproject — a major US-backed logistics infrastructure project that seeks to establish rail and maritime connections between Europe and India via MENA — are being talked over, with participants weighing their options in terms of proposed routes, the sources explained.

IMEC will likely deploy several routes: “Multiple routes are being considered to prospectively reduce the freight load on one route,” an official reportedly said.

Which MENA ports will feature along the routes? Fujairah, Jebel Ali, and Abu Dhabi ports in the UAE, and Dammam and Ras Al Khair ports in KSA are candidates for the GCC leg of the route, the document said. Israel’s Haifa Port is a top contender for the Israeli connection, and Greece’s Piraeus, Italy’s Messina, and France’s Marseilles could also become IMEC’s end-points in Europe, the Hindu said.

…and in India: Mundra, Kandla, and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (Navi Mumbai) have been shortlisted for maritime connections between India’s west coast and the Gulf, a document picked up by the Hindu showed.

IMEC’s railway links from the GCC to Haifa will build upon a mix of greenfield + brownfield projects: A study is ongoing to assess existing and planned railway infrastructure in the region and to identify gaps that will require new initiatives, officials reportedly said.

Thousands of kilometers of new railway lines are currently lacking: The 2.9k km Fujairah-Haifa stretch must see 1k km of new railways installed, while the 2.5k km Jebel Ali-Haifa route is short 745 kilometers. Abu Dhabi-Port Haifa’s 2.4k km connection lacks 629 kilometers of rail, Dammam-Haifa’s 2.1k km leg lacks 289 kilometers, and Ras Al Khair-Haifa’s 1.8k km stretch is missing 269 km, according to numbers cited by the Hindu.

The funding: Developing the sea links could cost anywhere between USD 3-8 bn, although it is too early to determine the exact figure, sources said.

Indian firms are already looking ways to contribute, including : Indian infrastructure and energy conglomerates Adani Group, Larsen & Toubro, and GMR Group are all looking to take part in mega projects for the corridor, the Economic Times Infra(ET Infra) reports. Engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro is looking to bid for engineering contracts for railway projects in the Middle East, such as the UAE-Oman rail project, an official from the firm told the outlet. Both GMR Group and Adani are looking to expand across Greece, specifically into Kalamata Airport and the ports of Kavala respectively, ET Infra writes.

Turkey is feeling left out: Ankara is pushing back against IMEC, which would upend its traditional role as a trade conduit between Europe and the Middle East, the Financial Times reported. “There can be no corridor without Turkey,” Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan reportedly said at the conclusion of the G20 summit, snubbing current plans which see IMEC completely side-stepping Turkey.

Ankara is proposing Iraq’s Development Road as an alternative: The USD 17 bn rail and road initiative is slated to connect Iraq’s Grand Faw Port to the country’s northern border with Turkey. However, there are serious doubts regarding the feasibility of the initiatives with analysts citing financial, security, and governance concerns, according to statements cited by FT. We have more on this in Logistics in the News, below.

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