Good morning, folks. We’re heading into the weekend with an issue packed with financing updates as the World Bank throws its weight to support post-war recovery in the Levant, as well as Iraq’s rail sector. Let’s get the ball rolling.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Israel resumed natural gas exports to Egypt from the Leviathan field yesterday, starting with a reduced volume of less than 200 mn cf/day, a government source told EnterpriseAM. Supply is expected to hit 850 mn cf/day in July and August — down from the 1 bn cf/day that would have been supplied at full capacity — before returning to normal levels later in the year.

ICYMI- Israel halted Egypt-bound natural gas exports on Sunday as the US launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Israel had only just resumed gas exports on Thursday after a six-day pause, although most of this made its way to Jordan, with Egypt receiving only minimal volumes.

The government also has restarted gas supplies to Mopco and Abu Qir Fertilizers, industry sources told EnterpriseAM. The government is also reportedly weighing an increase in domestic gas prices to offset the mounting cost of importing the more expensive form of the gas — LNG — from international markets, sources told Al Arabiya.

Freemarket fertilizer prices in Egypt jumped some 40% this week after the government was forced to cut its gas supplies over shortage, AlArabyia Business reports. Urea prices have soared to EGP 1.6k–1.7k per 50 kg bag, up from EGP 1.2k last year, while nitrate prices have reached up to EGP 1.2k. Traders are also reporting limited stock and regional price disparities, with some withholding inventory in anticipation of further hikes.

The gas outage has also led to reduced production of subsidized fertilizers, sources told AlArabiya. Cooperative stocks have dropped to under 160k tons—nearly half the levels at the start of the summer season. Factories are obligated to supply 220k tons monthly, but are now delivering just half that amount.

#2- Hormuz traffic surge: Oil tankers heading out of Hormuz Strait have doubled on Tuesday, compared to Monday, after the US announced an Iran-Israel ceasefire, Bloomberg reports. Tankers heading into the Arabian Gulf also surged by 48%. This brings outbound flows to the average pre-conflict level, and inbound traffic is on its way to recovery as well.

But jamming was still an issue: Shippers were still experiencing GPS signal jamming in the waterway, CEO of Greece’s Navios Maritime Partners Angeliki Frangou told CNBC. Navigation has become so dangerous that ships only transit the strait in the daytime, as doing so in night time has become too dangerous, Frangou was quoted as saying. At least 900 vessels in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz reported disrupted signals early last week, which drastically increased the chances of a collision in the waterway. Last week, two oil tankers collided in the Strait of Hormuz off the Emirati coast.

#3- Airport operations in regional hotspots are now in recovery after conflict-triggered, widespread cancellations and diversions ensued chaos for the airline industry, Reuters reports. Essential international transit hubs — Doha and Dubai, which were among the most impacted — are now on track to resume regular operations after ramping up efforts to reschedule flights for thousands of passengers.

ICYMI-Tensions in the region have wreaked havoc for the aviation industry, sending a growing list of regional and global airlines scrambling to reroute and reschedule flights amid increasingly unsafe skies in the region. Air India suspended flights, while Indian carrier IndiGo’s services were disrupted. Japan Airlines Co. paused services to Doha until Friday, and British Airways flights to Doha remained suspended, but services to Dubai were operating.

#4- Abu Dhabi trial runs new delivery drone: Aviation tech firm LODD and trade and logistics firm 7X launched Abu Dhabi’s first pilot flight for drone-based parcel delivery, according to a statement. The test flight was conducted in Khalifa City and saw an autonomous drone transport a simulated package from a local post office to a designated drop point, operating using a secure winch-based delivery arm. The pilot — conducted with supervision from the general civil aviation authority (GCAA) — is part of an Abu Dhabi strategy to advance autonomous mobility and drone-based logistics in the Emirate.

What’s next? LODD and 7X will work with regulators and industry partners to hone in on procedures, consolidate regulatory compliance, and collect operational insights to support a wider rollout — the project’s ultimate goal.

The region’s latest drone craze: Dubai kicked off drone deliveries late last year in Dubai Silicon Oasis with the first order from the Rochester Institute of Technology-Dubai. Omani AI and drone services company Esbaar is set to launch cargo delivery using drones by the end of the year, with a payload of up to 700 kg. The Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation also gave the green light in January for US delivery drone firm Matternet to launch its M2 drone in Saudi Arabia.

#5- Boeing under fire again for safety: The US’ top transportation safety authority blasted Boeing over what it called a lack of proper training and worker oversight at Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington, Bloomberg reports. The authority also reprimanded the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its ineffective oversight over Boeing’s operations as its regulator.

The context: The findings were part of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) investigation into an Alaska Air jet accident that saw a door-sized panel of a Boeing 737 Max blow up mid-air. NTSB found that the panel had left the Renton factory without four of the bolts meant to keep the panel intact. No fatalities were involved in the incident, which forced the Alaska Air flight into an emergency landing back in January 2024.

ICYMI-The FAA had to ground over 170 Boeing jets of the same model, pending an NTSB probe into the incident. The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was scrutinized by the FAA nearly five years ago, after two fatal crashes grounded the jet worldwide. Boeing considered steadying the production pace of its 737 Max aircraft — at 38 jets a month — in May to prove it can maintain production, before asking the FAA to remove the set limit.

MARKET WATCH-

#1- Oil prices continued to rally this morning amid signs of healthy demand, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures increased USD 0.15 to USD 67.83 a barrel by 03.30 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures saw an uptick of USD 0.20 to trade at USD 65.12 a barrel..

#2- Baltic index dips once again: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — dropped 1% to 1,665 points on Wednesday. The capesize was down 3.3% to 2,724 points, while the panamax index increased 3% to 1,425 points. The small supramax index inched up 1.1% points to settle at 994.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

ASEAN Ports and Logistics will take place on Tuesday, 1 July till Thursday, 3 July in Jakarta, Indonesia. The conference will bring together industry leaders and keynote speakers for discussions in the transport and logistics sector — gathering some 400 delegates from governments, companies, and developers in the shipping, ports, cargo, trade, and rail industries.

Intermodal Africa will kick off on Tuesday, 22 July and run till Thursday, 24 July in Beira, Mozambique. The forum will host over 300 senior government officials, industry leaders, academics, senior executives, and harbor masters in the ports, shipping, and logistics sector. Attendees and speakers will be coming from countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

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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