AD Ports’ Noatum acquires Spanish logistics firm Sesé’ Auto Logistics

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TODAY: Adnoc secures certificate to produce SAF + World IATA Symposium wraps

Good morning, friends, and welcome to Enterprise Logistics’ 100th issue. It’s been an absolute pleasure writing for you, folks — thank you for reading our coverage and analysis of the biggest stories from the logistics industry across the region and beyond.

THE BIG LOGISTICS STORY- Purchasing manager indices tracking non-energy sectors show improvements in business activity and purchasing in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, while Egypt’s remained in contraction as its backlogs rose to a new record.

^^ We have everything on this story and more in the news well, below.

HAPPENING TODAY-

Adnoc becomes the first company in the region to receive ISCC certification to produce SAF: Adnoc’s Ruwais Refinery has received an International Sustainability Carbon Certification (ISCC) to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), according to a press release. The credential will enable Adnoc to provide SAF to airliners at Abu Dhabi Airport, with the first batch set for delivery later this month. SAF at Ruwaisl is produced from used cooking oil feedstock that is blended with jet fuel, the statement adds. The certification makes Adnoc “well-placed” to meet global and domestic demand for biofuels, CEO of Adnoc Global Trading Ahmad Bin Thalith said in the press release.

SPEAKING OF SAF- Aviation leaders cite cost + scalability hurdles to achieving climate goals: Ambitious plans that had highlighted SAF as a pathway to carbon neutrality in aviation are giving way to a more somber outlook as industry leaders come to terms with the huge resources required to produce sufficient quantities of SAF in a sector that is contending with “razor-thin” margins, Bloomberg reported. Executives meeting for the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon last week saw calls for more realistic objectives. “If you hold out that things can be achieved by such and such a time, it causes huge dysfunctionality,” Emirates President Tim Clark said in reference to 2050 goals, according to statements cited by Bloomberg.

Discussions spill over into this week’s IATA World Sustainability Symposium (WSS) : The forum — hosted in Madrid, Spain and wrapping today — will see industry and government officials meet to discuss “key enablers for aviation’s successful decarbonization,” according to the event’s website. The WSS’ agenda will include discussions on an overall strategy to achieve 2050 goals, means for financing the transition, regulatory support, and other issues.

The fourth Extraordinary Congress of the Universal PostalUnion (UPU) kicked off on Sunday in Riyadh and will run till Thursday, Saudi press agency SPA reported. Representatives from 192 countries are expected to attend the event, which is held under the co-chairmanship of the Saudi Postal Corporation, and will discuss the impact of UPU decisions on the postal and logistics sector and how to keep pace with technological developments and address challenges. It will also touch on how to build a postal system that promotes economic and social development.

A delegation of Kuwait’s Chamber of Commerce led by Mohammed Jassim Al Saqr landed in Canada earlier this week for a joint economic forum, and will stay till Thursday, Kuwait’s Al Anba reports. The forum will review avenues for cooperation and investment in several sectors including oil and gas, transportation, logistics, AI and innovation, banking and finance, among others. The Kuwaiti delegation will include several members of the chamber of commerce, representatives from government agencies and Kuwaiti companies.

Air cargo demand in August improved 1.5% y-o-y, marking its first growth in 19 months, IATA said in a statement. Air cargo capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), was up 12.2% y-o-y on the back of a 30% y-o-y increase in belly capacity, the statement said.

Middle Eastern airlines tracked the global trend with a 1.4% y-o-y increase in cargo volumes in August, continuing an upwards trend over the past quarter. Meanwhile, regional carriers boosted capacity by 15.7% y-o-y, the statement said.

WATCH THIS SPACE #1- Exports via Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline may restart sometime this week: An oil pipeline from Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan may see flows restart very soon after having been closed since March due to an arbitration ruling that required Turkey to pay USD 1.5 bn in damages to Iraq, Reuters reported. “Within this week, we will start operating the Iraq-Turkey pipeline after resuming operations. It will be able to supply half a mn barrels, almost, to global oil markets,” Turkey’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in statements carried by the newswire. The two sides will wait until a maintenance assessment on the pipeline is completed before resuming flows, the newswire reported.

Baghdad and Ankara are still quarreling over the terms of the arbitration ruling: The ruling ordered Turkey to shell out USD 1.5 bn in damages to Iraq, but Turkey is pushing to have the fine reduced and to renegotiate the pipeline agreement, which expires in 2025, S&P Global reported.

WATCH THIS SPACE #2- Hungary is lining up the sale of “non-strategic assets” to finance its plans to buy Budapest airport, Reuters reported, citing statements by Hungary’s Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy. Hungary has been trying to buy the airport for years, and submitted a formal bid last month. The Hungarian official did not specify which government assets were on the chopping block.

REMEMBER- The government is in talks with several airport operators, one of which is in Qatar, to come on board as a minority partner.

Red tape could hold back plans to expand Kuwait’s airport: Despite allocating KWD 1.02 bn (USD 3.36 bn) to public projects in its 2023-2024 budget, which went into effect on 1 April, Kuwait has only spent KWD 108 mn (USD 356 mn) in the first half of the fiscal year, Kuwaiti daily Alqabas reported, citing government figures. The amount spent so far represents only 10% of the funds allocated for the purpose and risks a repeat of last year when only 50% of funds earmarked for projects were spent, the report said. This could potentially push back plans to expand Kuwait’s international airport, which is included in the year’s budget and plans.

ICYMI- The expansion includes establishing terminal 2, which will have the capacity to handle 13 mn passengers a year and will cost some KWD 1.3 bn, according to Gulf Consult.

What red tape? Delayed contractual procedures, late approvals by authorities, and legal problems have been cited as hurdles holding back spending on projects.

MARKET WATCH- US LNG exports see a moderate drop in September due to plant outages: The US exported 7.12 mn tons of natural gas in September, down from August’s 7.32 mn tons, Reuters reported, citing LSEG vessel tracking data. Plant outages due to maintenance at the country’s largest LNG plants were behind the reduced shipments, the newswire said.

Export destinations are more or less the same: 52% of exports were shipped to Europe, as the region continues to substitute US imports for Russian energy, and 30% went to Asia, with both proportions roughly in line with the previous month, Reuters wrote. Exports to Latin America increased to 8%, up from August’s 7%, on the back of greater purchases by Colombia.

Freight rates have dropped significantly for shipping through Ukraine’s humanitarian corridor, which allows cargo vessels to carry Ukrainian grain and iron ore from Black Sea ports, and they are likely to fall further, Reuters quoted Ukraine’s Farm Minister Mykola Solsky as saying. “I think freight has become 30-40% cheaper in the last 2-3 weeks. It is still expensive, but it is much cheaper than it was,” Solsky said.

China wants to get involved in the Arctic — and Russia is finally letting it: Although China gaining a foothold in the Arctic has long been impeded by Russia, Moscow is now turning to China to provide support in developing the Arctic as Western energy companies pull out of Russian projects, the Wall Street Journal reports. Their cooperation is mostly reflected in surging shipments of crude oil through the Northern Sea Route, with August and September alone seeing 10 shipments between the two countries.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The 20th edition of Automechanika Dubai is set to take place on 2-4 October in Dubai World Trade Center. The event functions as a trading hub for automotive players in regions facing accessibility challenges, including the MENA region, Asia and CIS nations. More than 1k exhibitors from over 53 countries will attend the event, with almost 43k trade visitors from 145 countries joining.

The Total Freight Worldwide’s Fresh Summit 2023 will take place in Madrid, Spain on 4 October, where participants will discuss the latest trends in transportation of perishable cargo.

A Saudi-Turkish Summit is scheduled to take place in Istanbul, Turkey on 8-12 October. Organized by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly in coordination with the Turkish Commerce Ministry, the summit will be attended by Turkish exporters and 70 members of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Chamber of Commerce. The participants will also include representatives from an array of sectors including food, non-ferrous metals, textiles, ready-made garments, chemicals, and furniture.

The GCC-Türkiye Economic Forum is set to take place on 11-13 November in Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey. The event will cover trade, investment and finance, energy, infrastructure, transportation and logistics, industry, tourism, agriculture and food, and sports sectors.

Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit , organized by the International Chamber of Shipping, will take place on 9 December in the UAE. The event will bring together government officials and leaders in energy, maritime, and all parts of the supply chain to discuss plans to address climate change and help transition the industry towards sustainability.

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

Non-oil private sector activity continued to grow in KSA + Qatar in September, while Egypt’s weakened further

How MENA coun tries’ non-oil private sector performed in September: Purchasing manager indices (PMI) tracking non-energy sectors show improvements in business activity and purchasing in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, while Egypt’s remained in contraction as its backlogs rose to a new record.

Remember: The all-important 50.0 mark is the threshold separating contraction from growth. Anything over 50 denotes expansion and anything below indicates contraction.

Non-oil private sector activity in Saudi Arabia signaled accelerated expansion in September, amid a 27% rise in output levels, new orders, on the back of a pick up in sales growth, according to Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia PMI (pdf). The PMI reading rose to 57.2 in September, up from an 11-month-low of 56.6 in August, and above its long-run average of 56.9 “The non-oil economy continues its growth despite the challenges arising from the current monetary policy conditions,” Chief Economist at Riyad Bank Naif Al Ghaith commented.

Improving market conditions was a key catalyst to rising client orders, spurring growth in purchasing and hiring, according to the survey. Purchasing activity rose sharply as firms indicated a further increase in input requirements, though at a softer pace from August, the report noted. Businesses also saw an improvement in suppliers’ delivery times, which resulted in sharp — albeit slowing — expansion in stock levels, according to the survey.

External headwinds still had an impact: There were signs that firms absorbed some rising costs as they continued to reduce prices despite increases in input costs, coming off the back of higher raw material prices and rising wages, the survey said. Non-oil exports also fell slightly, despite inputs and imports rising, potentially impacting the kingdom’s trade balance, Al Ghaith said.

Qatar’s non-energy sector in September inched down slightly from 53.9 to 53.7 in September, indicating another month of strong improvement in business conditions, albeit at a softer pace than the previous four months, according to Qatar Financial Centre’s (QFC) PMI (pdf). While output and new business continued to expand at robust rates, it was employment that was the main highlight in September, with the rate of hiring growth the best since mid-2022, QFC CEO Yousuf Mohamed Al Jaida commented. It expanded for its seventh consecutive month, while new business increased for its eight successive month in September, according to the survey.

Purchases increased further, while supply chains continued to improve as average lead times fell for the seventeenth successive month, the most in the survey’s history. Input inventories were broadly stable as companies continued to manage stock levels efficiently, and price pressures were modest, according to the survey.

Egypt suffered from low demand + high inflation: Egypt’s contraction fell to a four-month-low of 48.7, down from 49.2 last month, but still above the series average, albeit remaining below the 50.0 mark separating growth from contraction, according to S&P Global’s Egypt PMI (pdf). Depressed demand environment due to lingering high inflation weighed heavily on the PMI reading, with Egyptian non-oil companies facing “unprecedented pressure on their operating capacity in September despite sales continuing to fall,” S&P Global senior economist David Owen commented. September is now the 34th consecutive month that business activity has been in decline.

The highest level of backlogs since 2011, inflation, and a weak FX rate also pushed purchase prices higher, according to the survey.The survey reported weaker sales and decreased output levels amid difficulties in acquiring raw materials due to import challenges, resulting in a record level of unfulfilled orders.

Inventories rose for a second month running on the back of firms holding onto stocks in the month, caused by a reduction in output as purchasing activity continued to decline. Longer customs procedures also slowed down the arrivals of inputs for the first time in three months.

On a more positive note: Firms expanded their employment levels for a second month in a row and at the quickest pace in over five years, as services sectors looked to build stronger workforces, the survey said.

Outlook for Qatar + KSA was positive all round: Surveyed firms signaled Saudi’s outlook picked up sharply after falling to its weakest level since mid-2020 last month, with firms remaining hopeful that improving market conditions and rising sales will continue to support expansion. Qatar’s outlook also remained positive in September, with manufacturers and construction firms having the strongest expectations.

But that’s not the case for Egypt: Egypt’s outlook weakened from August, with firms being only mildly confident of a rise in output over the next 12 months amid price volatility and liquidity concerns.

Looking for UAE’s PMI? The survey will be out in a few hours here, and you can find our coverage in tomorrow’s issue.

AD Ports’ Noatum acquires Sesé Auto Logistics

AD Ports’ Noatum buys Spanish firm to boost auto logistics : Madrid-based logistics outfit Noatum, AD Ports Group’s logistics arm, will fully acquire Sesé Auto Logistics, the finished vehicles logistics business of Grupo Logístico Sesé for EUR 81 mn, Emirati news agency Wam reports. The acquisition is expected to be completed by 1Q 2024, subject to regulatory approvals, according to Wam.

About the company: Sesé Auto Logistics is a finished vehicles logistics business with a fleet of over 200 trucks, specializing in road and rail transport logistics for light and heavy vehicles, with operations in Spain, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary. It serves original equipment manufacturers like Renault, BMW and others, according to Wam.

Part of Noatum’s strategy to expand its vehicle logistics operations: Acquiring Sesé Auto Logistics is part of Noatum’s strategy to lead the finished vehicle logistics sector in the European automotive market, by expanding its network across Europe following the acquisition, Wam said. The transaction should generate synergies with Noatum’s port terminals business in Spain, offering a comprehensive logistics solution that will cover everything from transport to distribution and final delivery, Wam added.

What they said: “Noatum’s acquisition of Sesé Auto Logistics, which brings to us significant capabilities, expertise and logistics networks, will help deliver on our vision as it will allow us to further expand within Europe’s growing and profitable automotive sector, and pave the way for us to become a leading global provider in the FVL industry,” said Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of AD Ports Group.

Background: Last July, AD Ports Group completed its acquisition of Noatum to serve as its logistics operations unit after receiving the regulatory greenlight from the Spanish authorities. The acquisition merged AD Ports’ existing logistics business with Noatum to enhance the company’s global logistics footprint, according to the statement.

IFC mulls USD 175 mn loan to back expansion at Egypt’s Port Said port

Maersk’s expansion of Egypt’s East Port Said port may get IFC backing: The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering providing a loan of up to USD 175 mn to help the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) expand its existing container terminal at East Port Said port, the lender said on its website. The multilateral lender is expected to decide on the loan by 30 October.

Also included, an interest rate hedge: The IFC will also provide the SCCT with risk management products in the form of interest rate swaps with a loan-equivalent exposure of approximately USD 2 mn, the lender said.

ICYMI- This is part of Maersk’s expansion plans for the port: The Maersk-owned company is embarking on a USD 500 mn expansion of the East Port Said port that is expected to raise its capacity by 40%. The SCCT signed a contract with Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone in November that will put it in charge of building and operating a second container terminal at the port, as well as taking on responsibility for securing financing for the project. The IFC puts the cost of the project at USD 489 mn, of which 64% will be financed by internally generated cash flows and 36% via debt.

Refresher: The SCCT wants to expand the capacity of its existing 2.4k-meter container berth by 2.1 mn TEU to allow an annual capacity of 6.6 mn TEUs. This will significantly boost the port’s current capacity, access to port services, and operational efficiency. Expansion of the terminal could kick off at the end of this year, with its initial operations commencing in 2H 2025.

This isn’t the only loan the IFC is handing Egypt for a port: The IFC is also expected to greenlight a USD 125 mn loan for the construction of a second container terminal at Egypt’s Damietta Port on 30 October. The USD 665 mn expansion is led by a consortium of European companies that includes Hapag-Lloyd, Eurogate Terminals, and Contship Italia. The consortium inked an agreement with Damietta Port Authority last year to develop the terminal under a 30-year build-operate-transfer framework.

Iraq, Russia discuss Development Road project + Qatar, Grenada to boost cargo flights

Ira q, Russia discuss bilateral relations in transport sector: Iraq’s Transport Minister Razzaq Al Saadawi and Russian Presidential Aide Igor Levitin met in Baghdad yesterday to discuss cooperation in transport projects, including Iraq’s USD 17 bn Development Road project, according to a statement. Levitin expressed Russia’s willingness to take part in the project.

Qa tar + Grenada ink air services agreement: Qatar’s Transport Minister Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti signed an air services agreement with Geranda’s Civil Aviation, Transportation and Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell to allow the operation of unlimited passenger and cargo flights between the two countries, according to a statement. The two officials also discussed avenues for enhancing Qatar-Grenada bilateral ties in transportation, civil aviation, and ports.

The WTO is in need of reforms to avoid irrelevance, trade experts say

Is the World Trade Organization losing its relevance? The growing number of unresolved trade disputes and export restrictions is pointing to the trade watchdog’s fading importance in the global trade landscape, Reuters reports. Unresolved disputes left in limbo since the US’ halting of new judge appointments in late 2019, coupled with an increase of export curbs left unchecked, has raised concerns that trade could become more fragmented, as evidenced by the rising number of trade “concerns” raised by members of the WTO.

“ People are not feeling in any way constrained by their obligations to the WTO when it comes to policy and that was not the case a decade ago,” one expert said, pointing to issues like the US-China trade wars as examples of political and national security concerns trumping WTO policy. The WTO is also in need of reforms to address issues that have become more relevant in the past few years, like climate change, data flows and security, and AI, the newswire explains, citing WTO delegate concerns.

Qatar Airways Cargo launches freighters to Poland. PLUS: More aviation news + more from Roboost and Jordan

Qa tar Airways Cargo launches new Warsaw freighters: Qatar Airways Cargo has started operating new freighters to Warsaw this month with one flight per week, Stat Times reports. The airline will operate a dedicated freighter with a weekly cargo capacity of 100 tonnes each way. The new freight service, in addition to 10 weekly passenger flights to Warsaw, will bring weekly freight capacity to the city to more than 200 tonnes,.

What they said: “With the launch of freighters, businesses in Poland benefit from direct main deck freighter capacity for their imports and exports. The majority of the imports and exports consist of general cargo and perishables,” said Elisabeth Oudkerk, senior VP of cargo sales and network planning at Qatar Airways.

ALSO WORTH KNOWING-

Global law firm Holman Fenwick Willan has inked a new collaboration agreement to provide legal and strategic support to Emirates Shipping Association for a period of two years. (Statement)
Delivery services provider Roboost is partnering with Mcdonald’s Egypt to help the latter fully automate its last-mile delivery operations and provide greater visibility in the delivery cycle. (Statement)
Omani low-cost airline S alamAir carried out its inaugural flight from Muscat to Peshawar on Monday, marking the addition of the airline’s fourth Pakistani destination. (Arab News)
J ord an’s Transport Minister Wissam Tahtamouni met with World Bank ’s representative in Jordan Holly Benner to discuss cooperation in transportation. (Petra)
Air India is launching daily flights between Kochi, India and Doha, Qatar starting October 23. (Simple Flying)

MSC acquires almost half of Italian rail operator Italo + Panama Canal drought prompts further tightening of transit rules

M SC snaps up 50% stake in Italo: Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has acquired a c.50% stake in Italian passenger rail operator Italo Treno-NTV, which is owned by US-based Global Infrastructure Partners, according to a statement. “We strongly believe in the potential of Italo to further strengthen rail connectivity across Italy but also the Italian tourism market,” said Group President of MSC Diego Aponte.

Potentially one of several acquisitions this year? MSC has also launched a EUR 1.3 bid for Hamburg port operator. If the offer is taken up, MSC would acquire a 49.9% stake in HHLA at a cost of EUR 1.26 bn, according to Reuters’ calculations. If MSC acquires the shares, the city of Hamburg, which currently owns 69% of HHLA’s A shares, will still retain its control over the port with a 50.1% stake.

Drought conditions see Panama Canal Authority (ACP) cut vessel passage quotas again: Daily crossing at the Panama Canal will be trimmed from 32 vessels to 31 effective 1 November, according to a recent ACP advisory to shipping (pdf). The reductions are meant to accommodate reduced transit capacity due to an ongoing water shortage that is expected to last into next year, ACP authorities said.

Calendar

OCTOBER

Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) goes on a roadshow to South Korea.

1-5 October (Sunday-Thursday): Kuwaiti delegation led by Chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce Mohammed Jassim Al Saqr heads to Canada for a joint economic forum.

2-4 October (Monday-Wednesday): Automechanika, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE.

3-4 October (Tuesday-Wednesday): IATA World Sustainability Symposium, Madrid, Spain.

4 October (Wednesday): Total Freight Worldwide’s Fresh Summit 2023, Madrid, Spain.

3-5 October (Tuesday-Thursday): Fruit Attraction, Madrid, Spain.

8-10 October (Sunday-Tuesday): Saudi-Turkish Trade Summit, Istanbul, Turkey.

9-15 October (Monday-Sunday): 2023 World Bank Group – IMF Annual Meetings, Marrakech, Morocco.

10-12 October (Tuesday-Thursday): Autonomous E-mobility Forum, Doha, Qatar.

10-12 October (Tuesday-Thursday): Intermodal Europe 2023, RAI Amsterdam, Netherlands.

10-12 October (Tuesday-Thursday): Cool Logistics Global 2023, Genoa Stock Exchange, Genoa, Italy.

16-17 October (Monday-Tuesday): Duqm Economic Forum, Crowne Plaza, Duqm, Oman.

24-25 October (Tuesday-Wednesday): Future Fuels Europe, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

26-29 October (Thursday-Sunday): ICASM 2023, Conrad, Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

30 Oct-2 Nov (Monday-Thursday): XLP AGM 2023, Barcelona, Spain.

30-31 October (Monday-Tuesday): Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit, London, UK.

31 Oct-2 Nov (Tuesday-Thursday): IAPH World Ports Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

September-November: Emirates Postal Group’s “Logistics Unleashed” competition, UAE.

NOVEMBER

November: Abu Dhabi Airports Terminal A set to become operational.

1 November (Wednesday): Smart Maritime Network Dubai Conference, Conrad Dubai, UAE.

11-13 November (Saturday-Monday): GCC-Türkiye Economic Forum, Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel, Istanbul, Turkey.

9-15 November (Thursday-Wednesday): Intra-African Trade Fair, Cairo, Egypt.

15-17 November (Wednesday-Friday): Global Freight Summit 2023, Coca Cola Arena, Dubai, UAE.

13-17 November (Monday-Friday): Dubai Airshow, Dubai World Center, UAE.

14-15 November (Tuesday-Wednesday): Supply Chain & Logistics Arabia, Narcissus, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

14-17 November (Tuesday-Friday): IATA Slot Conference, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, UAE.

15 November (Wednesday): Leaders in Logistics UAE Summit, Dubai, UAE.

21-23 November (Tuesday-Thursday): Intermobility Expo 2023, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai, UAE.

21-23 November (Tuesday-Thursday): Touchdown Middle East, Gulf Hotel, Bahrain.

21-23 November (Tuesday-Thursday): ARABAL 2023 Conference, Hilton Riyadh Hotel & Residences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

23 November (Thursday): Global Supply Chain and Logistics Summit, Grand Millennium Hotel Business Bay, Dubai, UAE.

30 November-3 December (Saturday-Tuesday): Handling Expo, Egypt International Exhibition Center, Cairo, Egypt.

September-November: Emirates Postal Group’s “Logistics Unleashed” competition, UAE.

DECEMBER

10-11 December (Tuesday-Wednesday): Invest in Logistics, St.Regis Almasa Hotel, New Administrative Capital, Egypt.

EVENTS WITH NO SET DATE

2H 2023:Construction of Neom’s first hydrogen fueling station will kick off.

2H 2023: Expansion of Baghdad International Airport to begin.

3Q 2023: Design and supervision contract for Oman’s proposed Musandam Airport to be awarded.

Before the end of the year: The first phase of the Ain Sokhna port redevelopment will wrap.

2024

1Q 2024: Construction of phase 3 of Agility’s logistic park in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire to be completed.

1Q 2024: Egypt’s Transport Ministry to launch pre-qualification tender for Cairo-Alex freight railway.

1H 2024: Civil Construction subcontracts for construction firms in Oman for implementation of the Abu Dhabi – Suhar rail link to be announced.

King Salman Energy Park is set to become operational in 2024

FEBRUARY 2024

13th World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

12-13 February (Monday-Tuesday): Breakbulk Middle East conference, Dubai Trade Centre, UAE.

12-15 February (Monday-Thursday): African Air Expo, Cape Town, South Africa.

28 February-1 March (Wednesday-Friday): MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition 2024, Dubai, UAE.

MARCH 2024

5-6 March (Tuesday-Wednesday): MRO Middle East, Dubai Trade Center, Dubai, UAE.

12-14 March (Tuesday- Thursday): IATA World Cargo Symposium, Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong.

20 March (Wednesday): Construction work scheduled to begin on the 162 km Rasht-Astara Railway in Iran.

MAY 2024

2-3 May (Thursday-Friday): Geneva Dry, Hotel President Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland.

21-23 May (Tuesday-Thursday): WAGA 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

JUNE 2024

19-21 June (Wednesday-Friday): World Freezones Organization’s Annual International Conference and Exhibition, Bari, Italy.

NOVEMBER 2024

13-15 November (Wednesday-Friday): The Bahrain International Airshow, Sakhir Airbase, Bahrain.

DECEMBER 2024

10-12 December (Tuesday-Thursday): Middle East Business Aviation, DWC, Dubai, UAE.

2025

Mid-2025: Iraq will complete phase one of the construction of the Grand Faw Port.

DHL and Aramco’s logistics and procurement hub in Saudi Arabia will commence operations.

1Q 2025: Sadr Park’s Logistics Center in Riyadh to be completed.

2027

4Q 2027: Oman’s Musandam Airport construction to be completed.

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