Good morning, folks. The newscyle has slightly picked up as we head into the weekend, with updates on the popular Flynas IPO leading the pack today. We also have shipping and warehouses updates from UAE and Saudi. Let’s get the ball rolling.

HAPPENING TODAY-

#1- The Make It in the Emirates Forum is on its final day at the Adnec Center in Abu Dhabi. The three-day forum, which is organized by the Industry and Advanced Technology Ministry, brings together local and international decision-makers, government officials, private companies, investors, and financing institutions to support industrial growth and investment.

#2- Seamless Middle East is on its third and final day at the Dubai World Trade Center. The event, targeting payment providers, merchants, and SMEs and focusing on the future of digital commerce, payments, and e-commerce, will feature discussions on fintech, digital transactions, and the evolution of the digital economy.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Qatar’s Investment Promotion Agency (Invest Qatar) has kicked off a USD 1 bn investment initiative to shore up inflows and diversification, Reuters reports. The Logistics Package — one of four on offer in the program’s first phase — will promote investments in infrastructure, automation, and advanced logistics services. The program will foot 40% of any setup costs, construction, leases, and staff expenses incurred by local and international investors for a five-year period. No further details on the program were disclosed.

IN OTHER QATARI UPDATES- Qatar Airways’ recent mega Boeing order will cover the airline’s needs until 2045, with the first aircraft delivery expected in 2029, The Peninsula Qatar reports, citing comments by the airline’s CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer during the Qatar Economic Forum. “This ticks all the boxes for us to continue growing, expand our fleet, enhance our network, and begin retiring older aircraft,” Al Meer said.

A close call: Choosing Boeing over Airbus for this order was a “very close call,” said Al Meer, explaining that Boeing’s commercial and technical proposals were eventually picked after a lengthy process that started in March last year.

REFRESHER- Qatar Airways recently inked a USD 96 bn agreement to acquire 160 widebody jets from US manufacturer Boeing, with an option to add 50 more aircraft. The order was closed during US President Donald Trump’s Gulf tour last week.

#2- London-headquartered investment firm Actis is in talks to invest in data centers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Actis’ Head of the Middle East and Africa division Sherif Elkholy told Ashraq Business (watch, runtime: 7:19). “The UAE and Saudi Arabia markets are very attractive for us and present several opportunities that we are currently assessing,” Elkholy said.

The firm is eyeing investments across various sectors in the region, with its existing regional portfolio valued at around USD 500 mn. ElKholy added that Actis is pursuing an expansionary strategy in Africa and the Middle East, with plans to scale up its presence in key markets, such as Egypt where it would focus on infrastructure and renewables.

REMEMBER- Actis is reportedly considering hundreds of mns of USD in growth capital behind its stakes in the UAE companies, including Yellow Door Energy and Emirates District Cooling (Emicool). The firm acquired controlling stakes in both companies back in 2022.

#3- Mubadala Energy is willing to supply all its nat.gas from its South Andaman block to Indonesia if given an attractive price, Reuters reports, citing Mubadala Energy Indonesia president director Abdulla Bu Ali’s comments to reporters. The country is trying to meet growing domestic demand, but most LNG producers have prioritized exports due to restrictive local price caps.

Mubadala is still considering exports as well, but more competitive gas prices would make domestic supply more enticing, Bu Ali added. Indonesia currently caps its domestic gas prices for some industries and power plants at USD 6.5-7 per mn British thermal units (mmBtu), which is low relative to Asia’s spot LNG prices of USD 11.75 per mmBtu last week.

ICYMI- A portion’s already committed to Indonesia: Mubadala signed an initial agreement earlier this week to provide 200 mn standard cubic feet per day (mcf/d) of gas to Indonesian state fertilizer producer Pupuk Indonesia from its Tangkulo-1 well.

IN OTHER GAS SUPPLY UPDATES- Several Egyptian fertilizer producers are preparing a formal proposal to the government to import nat.gas directly from global markets, sources told Al Borsa. The move comes after the government cut gas supplies to local fertilizer and methanol factories by 50% for a 15-day period. Abu Qir Fertilizers and Mopco both said that the move will result in a 30% drop in production, according to statements here (pdf) and here (pdf).

#4- EU agrees to lift sanctions on Syria: The EU has officially decided to lift economic sanctions on Syria, while maintaining restrictions placed on former President Bashar Al Assad’s government, according to a statement. However, the EU said it will roll out sanctions targeting destabilizing actors and human rights violators in the country.

Right on cue: The move comes after the US pledged last week to lift the longstandingsanctions against Syria, with Washington recently announcing it would issue 180-day waivers for the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act — a restriction applied on Syria’s government and any states or companies affiliated with it during Bashar Al Assad’s rule.

DISRUPTION WATCH-

Libya’s Tripoli Port has reportedly ceased operations after violent clashes between rival armed groups prompted firms to divert their ships and evacuate personnel at the port, maritime news and analysis firm Lloyd's List reports. Shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd formally suspended port operations and vessel calls to and from Tripoli Port on Monday, citing the “ongoing security situation.” The port has reportedly received no vessels since 13 May

Libya maritime players say port is online: The Libyan Chamber of Maritime Navigation has circulated a document declaring Tripoli Port’s ability to receive vessels as of Monday, Al Mal reports. The chamber said it received a letter from the port’s authorities declaring it is ready for resumed traffic and pledging to ensure smooth movement without obstacles.

MARKET WATCH-

#1- Oil prices saw a slight uptick this morning despite an unexpected surge in US crude stockpiles, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures were up USD 0.04 to reach USD 64.95 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased by USD 0.10 to hit USD 61.67 a barrel by 04.56 GMT.

Saudi crude exports down, but output up: Saudi Arabia’s crude exports dropped to 5.75 mn barrels per day (bbl / d) in March from 6.55 mn bbl / d in February, Zawya reported, citing Reuters. Meanwhile, crude output was up at 8.96 mn bbl / d from 8.95 mn bbl / d the month prior. Refineries' crude throughput also increased to 2.94 mn bbl / d, while direct crude burning rose to 383k bbl / d.

REMEMBER-Opec+ agreed to accelerate oil production increments, adding 411k bpd in June and July, after years of cutting production. The oil group could ramp up production rates to as much as 2.2 mn bpd by November.

ALSO- Opec+ is now trying to reclaim shale oil market share from the US, Reuters reported, citing industry sources. The strategy has fallen short before — when technological advancements allowed US producers to cut costs and lower their prices about 10 years ago — but US shale producers are now in a more fragile position with surging costs, falling oil prices, and the blowback of the Trump administration’s aggressive tariff policies.

How would they do it? To affect the US shale industry, Opec+ would have to lower its prices to under USD 55-60 a barrel from the current average of around USD 65, which is the price needed to make gains from drilling. Inflation and depleted resources from the US’ best quality oilfield have also contributed to increased production costs, as producers search for new areas.

#2- Baltic index continues to fall: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — was down 0.2% to 1337 on Wednesday. The capesize fell 0.4% to 1855, while the panamax index dipped by 0.6% to 1286. The smaller supramax index gained six points to 988

DATA POINT-

Global LNG exports rose by 3.1% y-o-y to 109.3 mn tons in 1Q 2025, driven by the expansion and acceleration of cargo shipments from Venture Global LNG’s Plaquemines project, Cheniere Energy’s Stage III of Christi Corpus project, and New Fortress Energy’s Altamira LNG project, according to an OAPEC report (pdf). The US led the way as the top exporter, increasing exports by 15% y-o-y to 26.4 mn tons, while Arab countries accounted for 26.4% of global LNG exports at 29 mn tons in 1Q 2025.

Qatar led the Arab region and accounted for 20% of the total share of global LNG exports, positioning it in second place among top exporting countries after the US. The UAE’s LNG exports grew by 7% y-o-y in 1Q 2025 to 1.6 mn tons, driven by Adnoc Gas’ production capacity, while Algeria’s exports dropped by 24% to 2.2 mn tons. Oman’s exports grew by 3.3% y-o-y to 3.1 mn tons.

ALSO- Global LNG demand set to rise by 50% by 2030: Australia’s biggest nat.gas player WGC Woodside expects global LNG demand to rise by 50% in five years, Reuters reports, citing comments by CEO Meg O'Neill. Woodside’s customers are pursuing long-term contracts to “lock in” LNG supply as far ahead as the 2040s, O’Neill said.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Saudi Arabia will host the Saudi Warehousing & Logistics Expo from Tuesday, 27 May to Thursday, 29 May in Riyadh. The expo will host over 18k supply chain industry professionals and more than 400 exhibitors. It will also explore over 3.5k solutions.

Morocco will host the International Conference on Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Wednesday, 28 May to Friday, 30 May in Casablanca. The conference will cover scientific research, technologies, and environmentally friendly digital solutions in the logistics, transport, and supply chain sectors.

Egypt will host the Propak MENA from Monday, 2 June to Wednesday, 4 June in Cairo. The event will feature solutions, talks and workshops for F&B and consumer goods manufacturers to source global packaging, processing and logistic solutions.

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