AVIATION-

#1- SaudiaCargo partnered with Ireland-based aircraft leasing operator ASL AviationHoldings to add two new A330-300P2F aircraft to its fleet to increase cargo capacity and global operations, it said on X on Thursday.

More details: The planes — scheduled for delivery in 4Q 2025 — will be operated by ASL under a comprehensive lease covering crew, maintenance, and ins. The A330-300P2F can carry up to 62 tons and 32 LD3 containers, making it suitable for fast and heavy cargo while being fuel-efficient.

#2- Budget carrier flydubai secured seven new aircraft in 2025, with an additional five jets — Boeing 737 Max 8s — slated for delivery by year-end, according to a statement released on Thursday. The Dubai-based airline is expecting its fleet size to reach at least 95 jets by year-end, supporting the low-cost carrier’s growing network of over 135 destinations across 57 countries.

ZONES-

Chinese flooring giant Jiangsu Zhengyong Flooring Decoration Material will set up an USD 85 mn flooring and wall panels plant in the Sokhna Industrial Zone, according to a Suez Canal Economic Zone statement. The 181k sqm facility will produce PVC and recycled-material flooring and wall panels, with an annual capacity of 27 mn sqm. Some 90% of the output will be exported, with the remainder earmarked for local sale.

The investment comes out of the SCZone’s July promotional tour in China, which included a stop in Jiangsu province’s capital Nanjing, where officials met with representatives from Jiangsu Zhengyong, one of the world’s largest producers of PVC, WPC, and SPC flooring products, with a footprint in multiple global markets.

DATA POINT- Egypt wants to double Chinese investment to USD 16 bn over the next four years, Trade Commissioner Abdelaziz El Sherif said last month.

SHIPPING + MARITIME-

#1- Egypt to secure two tugboats for EGP 1 bn: Egypt’s Red Sea Ports Authority (RSPA) is set to obtain two tugboats with a 70-ton towing capacity by the end of this year at an estimated cost of EGP 1 bn, Al Mal reports, citing unnamed sources. The transaction is self-financed and follows an earlier contract for four tugboats — of which two were delivered last fiscal year — aimed at boosting towing efficiency and pilotage services across RSPA’s ports. The company supplying the vessels was not disclosed.

Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has also been expanding its tugboat fleet, receiving two tugboats with a 90-ton towing capacity — AZM 1 and AZM 2 — last April from the local Misr Tugboat Factory as part of a 10-vessel order. The SCA is also planning to uptake two new tugboats from the Alexandria shipyard this year.

#2-Adnoc L&S receives first VLEC delivery for AW Shipping JV: Adnoc Logistics and Services (Adnoc L&S) has acquired Gas Yongjiang, the first of nine very large ethane carriers (VLECs) for AW Shipping, its joint venture with China’s Wanhua Chemical Group, state news agency Wam reported on Thursday. Built by Jiangnan Shipyard, the 98k cbm vessel will operate under a 20-year time charter and feature energy-saving technologies to cut emissions.

REFRESHER- The delivery is part of AW Shipping’s USD 1.9 bn order with Jiangnan Shipyard for 11 dual-fuel carriers placed last year — nine VLECs worth USD 1.4 bn and two very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) worth USD 250 mn, with an option for two more. The VLECs are due in 2025-27 and the VLACs in 2026-28, with the full fleet projected to generate about USD 4 bn in revenue from long-term contracts.

ALSO- A new LNG carrier is joining the fleet: The company also took delivery of Al Reef, the third of six new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers from Jiangnan Shipyard.

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