Good morning, folks. It is a quick read today as we head towards the weekend, with news about Lunate lining up a minority acquisition in Adnoc Gas Pipelines and DP World’s new investments in Australia leading the pack.

HAPPENING TODAY-

The World Cargo Summit is set to close its doors today in Ostend, Belgium. The event focuses on air cargo economics, strategy, and market trends, with a specific focus on how the industry will tackle disruptions and how firms can adapt their business models. The event features dozens of industry experts, executives, and leadership as speakers, including from our region, such as the CEO of Egyptair Cargo Ehab AlTahtawy, and Oman Air’s Head of Cargo Mike Duggan.

The ShipTek International Conference opens its doors today and will wrap on tomorrow in Dubai. The two-day conference gathers industry experts, including Hapag-Lloyd Managing Director Carolin Stumm, Adani Ports CEO Nicolai Friis, International Maritime Industries VP Justin Taylor, Tristra CEO Tim Coffin, and others to discuss new tech and developments in the maritime industry.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Morocco setting up logistics hub ahead of 2030 FIFA World Cup: Morocco is set to establish a logistics hub with an estimated budget of USD 53 mn in the Casablanca-Settat region, in preparation for hosting the 2030 Fifa World Cup, Moroccan news platform Hespress English reports. Once completed, the 70-hectare hub is expected to generate 1.4k jobs and attract MAD 1.7 bn (USD 164 mn) in investments.

Refresher: In December, the country was announced as a co-host of the 2030 Fifa World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal, according to a statement by FIFA. Morocco has also said that it is set to invest some MAD 25 bn (c. USD 2.5 bn) in its Mohamed V International Airport in Casablanca to triple its capacity by 2029 in preparation for the event.

#2- DFM-listed logistics giant Aramex tapped HSBC as its financial advisor for a potential takeover by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, according to a regulatory filing (pdf) to the exchange. The transaction — which was announced earlier this month — will be made through ADQ’s subsidiary Q Logistics Holding, and is set to exclude the 22.69% stake held by AD Ports — which is also owned by the sovereign wealth fund. Clifford Chance was hired to provide counsel on the potential acquisition. ADQ has yet to submit an official bid for the purchase, which is currently pending due diligence, SCA approvals, and other regulatory requirements.

What we know: The acquisition would value Aramex at AED 4.39 bn, according to our calculations. The cash-offer will be placed at AED 3 per share, a premium of around 30% to Aramex’s closing price of AED 2.31 the day before ADQ first expressed interest.

ADQ’s advisors: Rothschild is acting as financial adviser for Q Logistics, while Emirates NBD capital serves as lead manager.

#3- Egypt’s East Port Said’s Port expansions to begin trial operations: Trial operations for container terminal expansions in the Suez Canal Zone’s (SCZone) East Port Said Port facilities will start in April, according to an SCZone statement. The expansion will increase capacity from 5 mn to 7 mn TEUs annually. AP Moller-Maersk signed a USD 500 mn agreement with the SCZone in 2022 to expand East Port Said Port by 40% by building the new berth to add an extra 2 mn TEU of annual capacity.

#4- An explosion erupted on board a Hong Kong-flagged container ship in the Red Sea on Tuesday, sparking a fire and forcing the crew to abandon ship, the Associated Press reports, citing industry officials. The explosion, the cause of which is still unclear, took place in a region where shipping vessels have been targeted by Houthi militants over the past year.

What else we know: The ASL Bauhinia vessel — operated by Shanghai-based Asean Seas Line — was en route to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from UAE’s Jebel Ali Port, Reuters reported. The vessel’s cargo was described as “dangerous” by an industry official, but no details were available about what is on board, the AP reports.

REMEMBER- Yemen’s Houthis said last week that they will limit their Red Sea attacks to Israel-linked commercial vessels and will cease all attacks once the terms of the Gaza ceasefire are fulfilled.

MARKET WATCH-

#1- Oil prices at almost three-week low despite uptick: Oil prices fell in the morning on the back of increasing US crude stockpiles and easing worries over a potential halt in exports from Libya, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures were down USD 0.18 to USD 77.31 a barrel by GMT 05.48, while the more active US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures decreased USD 0.15 to USD 73.62 a barrel.

#2- Baltic index maintains downward trajectory: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — fell 15 points to 746 on Tuesday, its lowest since February 2023. The capesize index dropped 27 points to 931, while the panamax index dipped 11 points to 748 — its lowest since May 2020. The smaller supramax index eased by 10 points to 619.

#4- Saudi Arabia’s Arab Light crude could see a price hike for Asian buyers in March on the back of higher demand from China and India, as US sanctions on Russia continue to tighten supplies, traders told Reuters. Saudi Arab Light crude is expected to be priced at a minimum of USD 3.5 a barrel — its highest since January 2024.

AND- Asian buyers may be turning to the North Sea and Kazakhstan as a result: Oil shipments from the North Sea and Kazakhstan are set to hit a 10-month high in February at an estimated 400k barrels a day as refiners turn away from Middle Eastern crude due to rising premiums, including from UAE suppliers which are constrained by Opec+ production limits, according to Bloomberg vessel tracking and trading data. This comes against a backdrop of US sanctions targeting Russian oil tankers, ins. firms, and producers, which further tightens up crude supply.

Key buyers include Indian refiners and teapot refineries, with volumes of the North Sea’s Johan Sverdrup and Forties and Kazakhstan's CPC Blend crude reaching their highest levels since April 2024.

#4- LNG imports to rise as European demand increases: Global imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are expected to reach their highest level in a year this month, as Europe’s winter demand diverts shipments from Asia, the leading consumer region, Reuters reports, citing Kpler data.

Globally: Some 38.12 mn metric tons of LNG are expected to be imported in January, an increase from 37.69 mn in December and the highest since January 2024’s 38.73 mn. The January 2025 volume is also the third-largest on record, as Europe works to replace pipeline natural gas from Russia.

In Europe: Kpler projects Europe's imports to reach 11.82 mn tons this month, the highest volume since April 2023 and the fourth-largest monthly total on record, surpassed only by three months in 2022 and 2023. LNG shipments to Europe from Russia are predicted to fall to 1.6 mn tons, an 11.6% decrease from December.

In Asia: Asia's imports of US LNG are expected to decrease 17% m-o-m to 1.81 mn tons in January — their lowest level since February 2024, Reuters reported, citing Kpler data. Overall, Asia's total LNG imports are also expected to fall in January, dropping to 24.48 mn tons from a 10-month high of 25.5 mn in December. This decline is primarily driven by a milder-than-usual winter, which has reduced demand in China, Japan, and South Korea, the world’s top three importers.

***YOU’RE READING EnterpriseAM Logistics, the essential MENA publication for senior execs who care about the industry that connects producers and retailers to global markets. We’re out Monday through Thursday by 9:15am in Cairo and Riyadh and 11:15am in the UAE.

EnterpriseAM Logistics is available without charge thanks to the generous support of our friends at Hassan Allam Utilities, Transmar, and AK-Ships.

Were you forwarded this email? Tap or click here to get your own copy of Enterprise Logistics.

Want to send us a story idea, request coverage, ask for a correction, or otherwise get in touch? Reach out to us on logistics@enterprisemea.com.

DID YOU KNOW that we also cover Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the MENAclimate industry ?
***

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The UAE will host the Middle East Bunkering Convention from Monday, 3 February to Wednesday, 5 February in Dubai. The event will focus on the marine fuels sector to address the future of the industry in light of geopolitical issues, environmental regulation, and the future of artificial intelligence and digitalization.

Saudi Arabia will host the Airport Expansion Conference from Tuesday, 4 February to Wednesday, 5 February in Riyadh. The two-day conference will feature over 30 speakers to discuss challenges faced by Saudi Airports and highlight Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 with a clear focus on expansion, tech, and strategic partnerships.

The UAE will host the Middle East Breakbulk Conference from Monday, 10 February to Tuesday, 11 February in Dubai. The event gathers giant manufacturers, EPCs, and service providers to discuss the latest solutions in breakbulk and heavy-lift logistics across the Middle East and Africa. The two-day event features an artificial intelligence (AI) seminar, a heavy lift workshop, a chartering workshop, and a women in breakbulk panel.

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