Good morning, friends. The news cycle has slowed down as we inch closer to the weekend, leaving us with a brisk read featuring green bunkering and M&A updates from Egypt and Qatar. But first, some good news for Air Canada clients…

THE BIG LOGISTICS STORY- Air Canada is gradually resuming its flight operations after reaching an agreement with flight attendants over their pay, ending a four-day strike that caused the Canadian air carrier to cancel flights and retract its full-year earnings guidance. Air Canada reportedly agreed to enact an immediate pay raise of 8-12% and compensate flight attendants for their work on the ground prior to the start of a flight — including boarding passengers.

While some flights began taking off on Tuesday, a full return to normal operations may still take up to ten days. The end of the strike — involving around 10k flight attendants — means the airline can now begin to adjust its schedules, which include some 700 daily flights that also represent up to 75% of the airline’s cargo capacity.

The story received a lot of ink in the int’l press: Associated Press | Reuters | Bloomberg | Wall Street Journal | New York Times | NBC | The Guardian | CBC | CNN

HAPPENING TODAY-

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Asian JV receives QatarEnergy-chartered LNG carrier: Construction on a QatarEnergy-chartered LNG carrier — Al Zuwair — was recently completed at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ HHI Ulsan Shipyard, according to a press release. Al Zuwair — the third vessel delivered out of a 12-vessel order earmarked for a QatarEnergy time charter — was commissioned by a JV comprising NYK Line, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, MISC Berhad, and China LNG Shipping (Holdings) Limited.

The specs: The 299-meter-long vessels boast a cargo capacity of 174k cbm and are equipped with two dual-fuel engines that can operate on both fuel oil and boil-off gas. They also feature an air lubrication system and a reliquefaction device.

QatarEnergy is integrating new LNG carriers to replace older vessels and expand its fleet, with 25conventional-size vessels commissioned via Nakilat. Of these, South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is building 17, while the remaining eight are being produced at Hanwha Ocean Shipyard. The 174k cbm vessels will be chartered by QatarEnergy’s affiliates under a long-term arrangement.

ON A RELATED NOTE- Oman’s Asyad Shipping received the second VLCC crude carrier as part of an agreement with Landbridge Universal for two used VLCCs, according to a Muscat Stock Exchange disclosure (pdf) released on Sunday. The delivery of the vessel — named Awabi — brings Asyad’s total crude tanker fleet to 18 — 12 owned and six chartered.

We knew this was coming: Asyad Shipping first announced its plan to acquire two vessels from Landbridge Universal back in April — including Qurayyat, a carrier delivered last month — before finalizing the USD 206 mn purchase in May, as part of a larger plan to invest OMR 2.3-2.7 bn. Awabi was built in 2020, whereas Qurayyat is a 2019 build.

ICYMI- Asyad Shipping saw its bottom line fall 41% y-o-y to OMR 8.8 mn in 2Q 2025, while its top line fell 15% y-o-y to OMR 85.3 mn, according to a statement (pdf). On a 1H basis, the firm saw its net income fall 27% y-o-y to OMR 20.2 mn, while its revenues dropped 9% y-o-y to OMR 169.1 mn, according to a separate disclosure (pdf).

#2- Iran moves forward with eastern road project: The Iranian government plans to inaugurate 30 km of the highway on the Zahedan-Birjand route before the end of the Iranian calendar year, provincial road and urban development Director-General Mehdi Parsi told the Iranian state-owned Press TV. The route — 211 km-long, of which 150 km is already operational — will help integrate two of Iran’s Pakistan-bordering eastern regions, Sistan and Baluchestan, into the country’s eastern transit corridor.

#3- UAE-Philippines trade agreement incoming? The UAE and the Philippines are preparing to sign a trade and economic partnership agreement in the coming weeks, the Philippine News Agency reports, citing the UAE embassy in Manila. The agreement would be the Philippines' first with a country in the region, covering goods and services, investments, SMEs, digital trade, customs, governance, and sustainability. The two countries began trade talks in 2022.

MARKET WATCH-

#1- Oil prices saw a slight increase this morning as markets continue to wait for any updates on the Russia-Ukraine peace talks led by the US, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures for September deliveries rose by USD 0.11 to reach USD 65.90 / bbl by 04.05 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased USD 0.05 to trade at USD 62.40 / bbl. WTI rates for October contracts also went up by USD 0.13 to USD 61.90 / bbl.

Meanwhile, Chinese refiners have ramped up purchases of Russia’s crude, taking advantage of reduced-price cargoes that India dropped due to Washington's tariff pressures, Bloomberg reports. Chinese refiners have stuck to a familiar playbook this year — ramping up crude imports when prices dip and scaling back when they climb.

China’s purchases raise pressure on Dubai crude: Chinese refiners have booked at least 15 cargoes of Russian Urals and Varandey crude for October and November delivery, a shift that could dent demand for Middle Eastern grades priced USD 2-3 per barrel higher, Reuters reports, citing analysts. The extra supply lands as the Dubai market is already softening on weaker seasonal demand and rising arbitrage flows.

The US has taken a softer line on China’s purchases of Russian crude, with US’ Trump noting that he would delay new tariffs on Chinese goods over their purchases of Russian barrels, Bloomberg said. By contrast, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro called India’s buying “opportunistic and deeply corrosive,” even as he admitted Washington can’t push too far on China without blowback.

ICYMI- Traders were watching to see if Middle Eastern crude, like Murban, would increasingly replace sanctioned Russian grades like Urals, as more Indian oil giants, including Reliance, revert to source crude from their traditional Middle Eastern suppliers like the UAE and Saudi Arabia due to geographical proximity.

#2- Baltic index falls again: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — fell 2.9% to 1,964 points on Tuesday, its lowest since 5 August. The capesize dropped 6% to a two-week low of 3,023 points, while the panamax index gained 0.4% to 1,637 points. The smaller supramax index went up by 0.6% to 1,369 points.

***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.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Bahrain will host the Syria Recovery and Investment Forum on Sunday, 1 September and Monday, 2 September in Manama. The forum will host global industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss Syria's most urgent rebuilding needs — and attract investments — across key sectors including education, energy, housing, smart cities, ports, and metro systems.

Oman will host Transport Middle East on Monday, 1 September until Wednesday, 3 September in Salalah. The conference will host 35 international speakers and over 50 exhibitors from the maritime sector to discuss global transportation and logistics.

Saudi Arabia will host the Sustainable Maritime Industry Conference on Wednesday, 3 and Thursday, 4 September in Jeddah. The event is set to gather over 60 speakers and more than 3k participants to discuss maritime decarbonization, digital transformation, regulatory frameworks, capacity building, and sustainable practices.

Algeria will host the Intra-African Trade Fair on Thursday, 4 September until Wednesday, 10 September in Algiers. The fair will host over 75 countries and 2k exhibitors across several sectors to explore investment prospects and exchange information on trade between B2B and B2G.

Oman will host the Comex Global Technology Show on Sunday, 7 September and run till Wednesday, 10 September in Muscat. The event will host over 360 participants and 133 tech startups to show achievements in eGovernment, fintech, smart cities, health tech, agritech and cybersecurity.

Saudi Arabia will host the Smart Ports and Logistics Transformation Summit on Monday, 15 September and Tuesday, 16 September in Jeddah. The summit will host over 40 global and local speakers, industry experts and policymakers to explore smart port solutions, port operations and logistics within Saudi Arabia.

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