Updates from roads, projects, trucking, and aviation from Iran, Bahrain and Morocco

TRUCKING-

Zain to provide smart vehicle surveillance for Aramex in Bahrain: UAE-based logistics firm Aramex has inked an agreement with Bahraini internet service provider Zain’s b2b arm Zain Business to support Aramex’s Bahrain operations by enhancing fleet management’s efficiency, security, and safety, according to a statement released on Sunday. Zain will integrate advanced smart vehicle monitoring and surveillance solutions into Aramex’s fleet in the Kingdom.

DIPLOMACY-

Iran + Oman ink trade agreement: Iran has inked an MoU with Oman to eliminate tariffs and boost customs cooperation between the two countries, Mehr News reported on Friday. Iran and Oman are also looking into developing the Bandar Abbas-Oman shipping line and increasing direct flights between them.

On the Iranian-Turkish borders: Iran's Secretary of the Supreme Council of Free Zones Reza Masrour highlighted plans for establishing a joint free zone between Iran and Turkey along their shared 550-kilometer border, according to Iranian state-run news agency IRNA.

The two neighbors also discussed Turkey's recent decision to revoke fuel tax exemptions for Iranian commercial vehicles crossing into Turkey, which now forces Iranian truck drivers to pay fuel taxes of 155% of Turkey’s special consumption tax rate, Tehran Times reports. Turkey’s decision was reportedly a retaliatory response to Iran’s “full-tank” policy, which mandates foreign trucks leaving Iran to pay a customs duty equivalent to the fuel in their tanks to combat fuel smuggling.

ROADS-

Bahrain’s Works Ministry has received eight bids for engineering consultancy services on a project to widen Riffa city’s Riffa Avenue, according to a disclosure released on Thursday. The chosen firm will conduct feasibility studies and preliminary design. The project will widen Riffa Avenue’s existing two-lane dual carriageway to at least four lanes in both directions.

TRADE-

DP World to launch cross-border payment with stablecoins: DP World is collaborating with global financial institutions and technology providers in the UAE, Singapore, India, and other key markets to introduce “accessible, instant, and transparent” cross-border payment solutions enabled by stablecoins, according to a statement published on Thursday. The move aims to address prolonged settlement times, restricted access to finance, and a lack of transparency in emerging markets such as Asia and Africa.

PROJECTS-

Phase 2 of the EUR 58.7 mn Ahfaz Central Desalination project — designed to process salty crude to make it export-worthy — is officially operational, Mehr News reported last week. The project aims to improve the quality of processed salty crude oil and increase the plant’s processing capacity to reach 110k barrels per day (bpd) from the Ahfaz oil field.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING THIS MORNING-

• Jordan to expand King Hussein Airport: Jordan’s Board of Commissioners of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority has approved a plan to develop and expand Aqaba’s King Hussein International Airport. (Petra)
• Qatar launches hydrographic survey: Qatar's Ministry of Transport has launched a hydrographic survey initiative to update Qatar's navigational nautical charts and develop a traffic separation scheme (TSS) — a maritime route system designed to manage the flow of vessels entering and leaving the waters. (Statement)
• Qatar Airways launching new South America flights: Qatar Airways is launching new routes from Doha to Bogotá, Colombia, and Caracas, Venezuela, starting in early summer 2025. (Press release)
• Emirates restarting Iraq + Lebanon flights: Emirates Airways is relaunching daily services to Lebanon’s Rafic Al Hariri International Airport and Iraq’s Baghdad International Airport starting 1 February. The airline plans to add a second daily flight to Beirut starting 1 April. (Statement)
• Balearia launches Spain-Algeria line: Spanish shipping company Balearia has launched a new line from Spain’s port of Barcelona to Algeria’s port of Algiers. (Shippax)
• New shipping services land in Damietta: Damietta Container Terminal has welcomed ONE’s LEX and AD1 shipping services, which will operate between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. (Statement)
• Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways launching new Hungary service: Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways is operating two weekly flights to Hungary’s Budapest Airport from 5 June to 25 September 2025. (Travel and Tour World)
• Suez Canal 2021 blockage cost Maersk USD 89 mn: A new study has found that Maersk lost c.USD 89 mn when the megaship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal in 2021, causing the waterway to shut down for several days. (Offshore Energy)