It’s almost a wrap for TransMEA

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What we're tracking today

TODAY: Drones shot down over Israeli airport amid heightened regional tensions + AD Ports to finalize concession agreement for Safaga port “within weeks”

Good morning, nice people. It’s the final day of Egypt’s TransMEA transport expo, and we have a lot to cover from the third day, so let’s dive in.

THE BIG LOGISTICS STORY- The Egyptian Transport Ministry inked a slew of agreements that aim to boost its maritime and logistics sectors, according to several statements (here, here and here). The country also inked more agreements to localize manufacturing for its transport sector.

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

HAPPENING TODAY-

Three armed drones were shot down yesterday in two separate attacks over Iraq’sErbil airport where US forces and other international forces are stationed, Reuters reports, citing Iraqi Kurdistan’s counter-terrorism service as saying in a statement. There were no casualties or damage to infrastructure, Reuters cites a US Defense Department official as saying. The attacks come amid increasing tension in the region over the war in Gaza. A group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has said it was targeting the Al Harir military base, which is 70 km northeast of the airport, the outlet adds.

WATCH THIS SPACE- AD Ports is set to finalize within weeks an agreement to run Egypt’s Safaga Port for 30 years, AD Ports head of ports cluster Saif Al Mazroue said in an interview with Al Arabiya (watch, runtime: 2:51). Egypt’s House of Representatives gave final approval in October for an AD Ports-led consortium to develop and manage Safaga port, with the bill now pending the ratification of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

Refresher: The consortium, which also includes Golden Anchor Ships Operator and Silver Anchor Facilities Management, will have the right to develop, build, manage, and operate Safaga Port for 30 years through the Safaga Stations Operating Company. The Safaga 2 terminal is expected to kick off operations in 2Q 2025, handling some 5 mn tons of dry bulk, 1 mn tons of liquid bulk, 450k TEUs of containerized cargo and 50k car-equivalent units (CEUs) of roll-on, roll-off cargo. The port currently has a maximum capacity of 6.37 mn tons per year.

MARKET WATCH-

Iran’s oil exports are down for a second month: Iran loaded 1.43 mn barrels a day of crude and condensate oil onto tankers in October, the lowest recorded amount since July, Bloomberg reports, citing a firm that tracks tanker movements through satellite imagery. This was 194k barrels a day lower than the previous month. The decline is attributed to falling demands in Asia following the end of summer. Iran has been selling to undisclosed small private refineries in China, who were looking for supply following OPEC production cuts, however demand was expected to fall due to seasonal maintenance at plants, Bloomberg explained.

HELP SUPPORT GAZANS-

Want to support relief efforts in Gaza, but don’t know how? We’ve got you. More than a mn people in Gaza have been thrown from their homes and every human being there lacks access to food, water, and fuel amid the most intense bombardment any population has endured this century. The charities we’re listing below are organizations working on Gaza relief that we think you can trust if you want to make a donation.

#1- Egyptian Red Crescent Society is one of the Egypt’s leading providers of humanitarian and emergency medical services. The Egypt Red Crescent accepts donations in EGP online and is on Fawry with the service code 99981. You can also donate to the organization through this Banque du Caire account: 49/403/30 (EGP) or 1065/601/30 (USD — code: BCAIEGCX030).

#2- The Emirates Red Crescent Authority has launched the Tarahum — For Gaza campaign and is accepting donations online via What’s App, SMS, Apple Pay, credit card, or bank transfer to ADIB (AE370500000000020000417).

#3-The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has launched the Sahem campaign accepting donations via their website, mobile apps on Apple Store and Google Play, or bank transfer to Al Rajhi Bank (SA5580000504608018899998).

#4- UNICEF has been on the ground in Gaza since the start of the crisis, providing urgent supplies and aid. You can donate to the agency directly using your card in your local currency here.

ALSO- The folks at Talabat are processing donations for a range of Gaza relief appeals by charities including the Egyptian Food Bank, Misr El Kheir and the Emirates Red Crescent Authority’s Tarahum campaign. You can make the donation via the Talabat app using your credit card.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The Turkish-Arab Economic Forum 2023 is taking place today at the ÇırağanPalace Kempinski in Istanbul. The event will include networking sessions, and several sessions focused on Turkish-Arab collaborations in several sectors, including trade, according to the forum’s agenda (pdf).

TheIntra-African Trade Fair will take place from Thursday 9-15 November at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre and Al Manara International Conference Centre in Cairo, Egypt. The event — which takes place in collaboration with African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat — will showcase goods, services, and investments from African countries, with the goal of establishing efficient channels for trade between African countries.

TheGCC-Türkiye Economic Forum will kick off on 11-13 November at Çırağan Palace Kempinski Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey. The forum will allow the GCC and Turkey to explore potential areas of cooperation, increase bilateral trade, and establish networks for joint projects, according to the forum website. The event will feature a number of Turkish and GCC speakers and panelists from sectors including trade, investment, industry and logistics, infrastructure, agriculture and food, and sports.

The third Caspian Economic Forum will be held in mid-November in Iran, state-owned Islamic Republic News Agency reports. The event is set to focus on transportation, joint ventures, oil and gas, finance, banking and technical cooperation in Iran, with Alireza Jahangiri, Iran’s deputy foreign caspian sea affairs minister, calling on economic institutions to attend, IRNA adds. The exact location and dates of the forum have yet to be confirmed.

The Dubai Air Show will be held from 13-17 November at DWC, at the Dubai Airshow site, in Dubai. The event will feature over 180 aircraft including business jets, drones, commercial airlines, military jets, helicopters, and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The event will also gather decision makers to discuss the latest trends and challenges across the aviation industry, and how to drive sustainable aviation operations.

The Supply Chain & Logistics Arabia summit is set to take place on 14-15 November at Narcissus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will feature several panel discussions on matters including the future of supply chain, digitalisation and technology, procurement, warehouses, distribution and fulfillment, and last mile issues.

The IATA Slot Conference is set to take place on 14-17 November at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE. The business meeting will host over 1k delegates, with representatives of more than 200 slot coordinated airports and over 225 airlines from across the world. The event allows the global airline community to meet for quick optimisation of planned schedules and to explore chances for growing routes and networks.

The Global Freight Summit 2023 will be taking place on 15-17 November at the Coca Cola Arena, Dubai, UAE. Hosted by DP World, the event aims to create a platform for the international freight forwarding and supply chain communities, bringing together industry leaders and the global freight community to discuss challenges that are prevalent across the sector. The event will be held under the theme Making the Future Supply Chain a Reality, with the aim of exploring how industry stakeholders can take action to face these challenges.

The first GCC-Egyptian Business Forum will be held on 22-23 November in Cairo, Egypt, Bahrain News Agency reports. The event is being held under the theme Business, Investment, Partnership, with a focus on investment opportunities in real estate, agriculture, the food industry, and tourism in the region. The event is hosted by the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce and organized in cooperation with the Federation of Gulf Cooperation Council.

Egypt awards contracts for logistics zones, dry port + inks agreements to give transport sector a boost

Breaking down Egypt’s agreements in TransMEA 2023: The Egyptian Transport Ministry has inked a slew of agreements on the third day of the ongoing TransMEA 2023 transport expo in Cairo that aim to boost its maritime and logistics sectors, according to several statements (here, here and here). The country also inked more agreements to localize manufacturing for its transport sector.

One caveat: Most of the agreements are in early stages, with economic feasibility studies still ongoing, meaning the exact values of the contracts and how they’ll be funded is still unclear.

IDG snags Kom Abu Radi Dry Port contract: Samcrete Group subsidiary Industrial Development Group (IDG) inked an MoU to establish, manage and operate a dry port in Kom Abu Radi, which will serve the area’s fertilizer, cement, and electronics factories, as well as Supply Ministry-affiliated bulk commodity silos. The port will also be connected by railway line to our main railway network.

What’s next: The company will conduct an economic feasibility study in the next four months, after which it will submit a financial bid, and another more detailed technical proposal in 10 months, according to a press release (pdf).

#3- Two new logistics zones: Orchid Kuwaiti Egyptian Company inked an MoU to set up, operate and manage a logistics zone in 6th October Industrial Zone, with a period of four months slated for the economic and feasibility studies, after which the company will submit a financial bid, the statement said. A Libyan-Egyptian consortium comprising Al Raeid Engineering Consultants and Al Saed Company also inked an agreement to establish, operate and manage a 400-feddan logistics zone in Al Salloum city on the Libyan border, for which the consortium will conduct a feasibility study in two months.

MARITIME-

The Transport Ministry also oversaw a number of agreements signed to help strengthen Egypt’s maritime sector, including a new Egypt-Italy ro-ro line, technical capacity building and port management.

#1- Developing state-owned maritime firms: Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement and Egypt-based Pan Marine Group inked an MoU that will see the companies work on developing Egypt’s state-owned maritime firms by employing a new cohort of 1.5k workers and financing the construction and acquisition of new vessels, the statement said.

#2- Egypt-Italy shipping line: Egypt also inked an agreement with ship operator DFDS Mediterranean for a weekly ro-ro shipping line for perishables between Egypt’s Damietta Port and Trieste port in Italy to boost trade between the countries. The two countries’ customs authorities also inked an agreement to help facilitate shipping processes for the shipping line, the statement said.

#2- Alexandria Port and the Chinese Port of Guangzhouare also partnering up toexchange expertise in port management and smart, green ports.

WATCH THIS SPACE- Omani logistics firm Asyad is eyeing investments in SCZone: Omani state-owned logistics provider Asyad is interested in cooperating on maritime and logistics projects within the Suez Canal Economic Zone, a delegation from the company said on the sidelines of the event.

AD Ports invests USD 200 mn in 10 offshore vessels

AD Ports has acquired 10 offshore vessels for USD 200 mn to boost offshore operations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia,according to a press release. The investment will bring the company some USD 70 mn in revenue within the next 3-5 years. The 10 vessels are set to be delivered by 4Q 2023, with the financial consolidation process starting 1Q 204 onwards, the press release adds. The company acquired the vessels from offshore supply vessel owner and operator E-NAV.

The details: The vessels include multi purpose supply vessels, platform supply vessels, diving support vessels and accommodation workboats, the statement said. The novel fleet has an average age of nine years, less than the industry average, it added.

The company’s ramping up its offshore operations: It plans to take over contracts with blue chip clients in the oil and gas industry, national and international oil companies in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, with 95% of the existing contracts slated for implementation soon, the statement said.

The silver lining: The investment will boost the company’s capacity for offshore services and expand its geographic footprint in the offshore sector, the company said. It also allows AD Ports to diversify its maritime investments and reduce risk amid forecasts of an upward trend in the sector, it added.

Egypt + Venezuela explore more trade cooperation + Bahrain to implement reciprocal visa system with Bosnia, Herzegovina

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto in Cairo to discuss boosting their trade relations and volumes, according to a statement. Shoukry stressed the importance of boosting cooperation between the two countries in several areas, including agriculture, fisheries, crude oil, natural gas, civil aviation and information technology.

ALSO WORTH KNOWING-

Bahrain will implement a reciprocal visa system with Bosnia and Herzegovina to enhance bilateral trade exchange and investment. (Gulf Daily News)

Moroccan ports to get new EUR 49.3 mn tugboats + Riyadh Air inks agreement with IBM. PLUS: More from Oman, Egypt and EasyJet

SHIPPING + MARITIME-

Moroccan ports to acquire tugboats from Med Marine:The Moroccan Office De La Marine Marchande et Des Ports has signed a contract with MedMarine to acquire six tugboats to be used for towing services at commercial ports, firefighting, and marine cleanup, according to a statement. The agreement should be implemented within two years and will cost some EUR 49.3 mn, EUR 41 mn of which is being provided through a loan from the French Development Agency.

AVIATION-

Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air + IBM Consulting sign tech agreement: Riyadh Air has signed an agreement with IBM Consulting where the latter will serve as principal systems integrator for the airline’s technological and digital transformation, according to a press release. The two companies have already established a digital innovation strategy for the airline, and will work together on “integrating more than 50 airline industry solutions and core technology capabilities, including security, infrastructure, integration and data platforms, using a hybrid cloud approach,” the statement said.

ALSO FROM RIYADH AIR- The new airline will announce a “sizable” agreement to purchase narrowbody aircrafts in the coming weeks, CEO Tony Douglas told Reuters. The company has already secured the purchases of 72 Boeing 787 widebody jets, Douglas said.

REMEMBER- The new airline — announced in March of this year — plans to launch its first flight in 2025.

INFRASTRUCTURE-

Oman has kicked off work on a project to connect four villages in Shinas to its Batinah Expressway, Oman News Agency (ONA) reports. The project involves the construction of roads connecting the villages of Al Ghatl, Al Masdar, Al Humaidah, and Wadi Shuraim, as well as the construction of entrances and exits for Wahla Camp Bridge on the expressway, ONA adds. The roads should facilitate traffic flow between the villages Wilayat of Shinas and the rest of Oman as well as stimulate trade across the country.

ALSO WORTH KNOWING-

Egypt’s AlexandriaPort and China’s Port of Chengdu inked a cooperation agreement to explore port management strategies, and green and smart ports, on the sidelines of TransMEA 2023 in Cairo, Egypt. (Statement)
Egypt’s Transport Minister Kamel Al Wazir met with a Singaporean delegation to discuss, among other things, collaborating on a unified digital platform and automating East Port Said port. (Statement)
EasyJet airline is set to launch flights from Belfast International Airport in northern Ireland to Tunisia and Cyprus in 2024. (The Irish News)

Hamburg port operator board backs MSC’s bid for 49.9% of the company + South Africa to boost manganese exports. PLUS: US wheat shipments fall to new record

Hamburg backs MSC offer to pick up Hamburg port shares:Hamburg port operator Hamburger Hafen und Logistik ’s (HHLA) board is recommending that shareholders accept an offer by container shipping firm Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to acquire 49.9% of HHLA shares, according to a joint statement. The company considers the offer price of EUR 16.75 per Class A share to be adequate, the statement said. Upon the approval of the Hamburg Parliament, MSC will provide equity of EUR 450 mn to HHLA for investments in business operations over the next few years, according to the statement. MSC and the city of Hamburg — which will retain a 50.1% stake in the port — will also pour in some investments of EUR 775 mn in 2025-2028, the statement added. The offer will run till 20 November 2023.

Background: In October, MSC made a EUR 1.3 bid to acquire almost half of the Hamburg port operator.

The Logistics Group has launched a project in Saldanha Port, South Africa to boost manganese exports, Bloomberg reports. The project involves the transportation of manganese along an 861 km rail line — one of the world’s longest trains — in South Africa that runs from mines in Sishen to Saldanha Port. The Logistics Group has established a dry bulk terminal at Saldanha Port with a warehouse that can accept the volumes of manganese, of which South Africa has an estimated 80% of global reserves.This comes after years of corruption, mismanagement and capacity shortages by state-owned port and rail operator Transnet had led to a decline in the trading of the key battery metal.

ALSO WORTH KNOWING-

US wheat shipments plunged last week to 71.6k tonnes, the lowestrecorded shipment for any week since records began in 1983, reflecting the country’s diminishing share of the world wheat trade. (Reuters)

Calendar

NOVEMBER

Mid-November: Third Caspian Economic Forum, Iran.

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

5-8 November (Sunday-Wednesday): TransMEA, Cairo, Egypt.

8 November (Wednesday): Turkish-Arab Economic Forum 2023, Istanbul.

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

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

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

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

17-18 November (Friday-Saturday): 17th Iran-Turkmenistan Joint Economic Commission, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

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.

22-23 November (Wednesday-Thursday): GCC-Egyptian Business Forum, Cairo, Egypt.

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

4-6 December (Monday-Wednesday): ACE 23 Air Cargo Conference, Yas Island Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE

4-7 December (Monday-Thursday): Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) exhibition, Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds, Tehran, Iran.

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

12-14 December (Tuesday-Thursday): Food Africa Cairo 2023, Egypt International Exhibition Center, Cairo, Egypt.

18-20 December (Monday-Wednesday): International Exhibition of Transportation, Logistics, and Related Industries (Iran Trans Expo 2023), Imam Khomeini Grand Prayer Campus (Mossala), Tehran, Iran.

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.

APRIL 2024

30 April- 2 May(Tuesday-Thursday): Autonomous E-mobility Forum, Doha, Qatar.

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.

OCTOBER 2024

6-8 October (Sunday-Tuesday): Routes World 2024, Bahrain.

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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