Good morning, folks. The regional logistics news cycle is keeping a steady pace this week with news flowing in from Oman, Egypt, Saudi and beyond. Today’s issue has a focus on trade: ports, exports, and some Black Friday action planned from Amazon workers. Let’s get to it.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- British oil giant Shell reportedly plans to increase its natgas production in Egypt by 170 mn cubic ft per day by the end of 2024 from deep-water sites west of the Nile Delta, an unnamed government official told Asharq Business. The production increase is part of USD 22 mn agreement inked back in July between Egypt’s Oil Ministry, Shell, and Malaysia's Petronas to drill three gas production wells and build offshore facilities in West Delta to boost its gas production. The project added some 40 mn cubic ft per day in October and 65 mn cubic ft per day in November, with another 65 mn cubic ft per day slated to be added in December.

Shell and Petronas are collaborating with Egypt to develop three fields in the West Delta offshore region, Asharq writes. Around 40 mn cubic ft per day of production were added in October, 65 mn cubic ft per day in November, and almost another 65 mn cubic ft per day will be added this December.

Shoring up domestic supply? Egypt has been reviewing its LNG needs and “updating production and consumption models according to actual figures” with the aim of “achieving the optimal and most efficient energy mix,” although the country said it will need to import another 17-20 shipments of LNG in 1Q 2025. Egypt has been shifting LNG imports away from int’l tenders towards long-term deals since November, with The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company negotiating the agreements.

#2- Adnoc hinted that it is considering floating additional shares for Adnoc Gas on the ADX to boost liquidity and bring more investors on board, according to a disclosure to the ADX (pdf). No final decision has been made on the size and timing of the potential sale, Adnoc added.

IN CONTEXT- This came in the wake of rumors that Adnoc is mulling the sale of a 3-5% stake in its gas unit, which could be worth some USD 3.5 bn based on its share price at Friday’s close. The sale would follow a similar sale of a 5.5% stake in Adnoc Drilling for USD 935 mn to institutional investors in May, which paved the way for the drilling unit to join the MSCI Emerging Market Index.

#3- A third runway for Heathrow? Paris-based equity firm Ardian is seeking to expand London’s Heathrow Airport in the coming years by potentially developing a third runway if there is a consensus for it backed by management, head of infrastructure Mathias Burghardt told the Financial Times. The development — which would require consensus from the government and stakeholders — would be contingent on a credible plan to lower emissions amidst rising concerns about decarbonization efforts. Ardian is soon-to-be Heathrow's largest shareholder, holding a 22.6% stake when the transaction is completed by the end of the year.

#4- Amazon workers stick a dagger in Black Friday: Amazon employees are planning to strike across 20 countries on Black Friday, 29 November and Cyber Monday, 2 December to demand more rights and climate action, The Guardian reports. Workers and union reps have planned for action in a number of countries including Turkey, the UK, the US, Germany, Canada, India, Japan, Brazil. The action will hit at a busy period which sees Amazon, among many other retailers, offer discounts to shoppers and require warehouse staff to fulfill an influx of orders.

What are they asking for? The action is calling on Amazon to pay its workers fairly, pay its fair share of taxes, observe worker’s right to join unions, and commit to sustainable climate action. Amazon’s UK headquarters will see planned demonstrations and a petition asking for tax reforms, hosting over 110k signatures, will be delivered to the UK government. Strikes are already planned for several Amazon warehouses in Germany, and others are planned in several French cities.

MARKET WATCH-

#1- Oil prices rose in early morning trading as investor appetite steadied amid talks of a potential ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures gained USD 0.29 trading at USD 73.20 a barrel by GMT 04.30, while US West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) futures rose USD 0.26 to USD 69.20 a barrel. Both benchmarks shed USD 2 a barrel yesterday following reports that Lebanon and Israel had agreed to the terms of a deal to end the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which triggered a crude oil selloff.

Opec+ will hold its upcoming oil policy meeting online on 1 December to discuss another delay to plans to raise output, Reuters reports, citing unnamed Opec+ members. The organization will likely push back output increases on the back of weak global oil demand.

#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 — dipped 0.5% to 1,529 points on Monday — its lowest reading since November 8. The capesize index fell 13 points to 2,613 points, while the panamax index shed 15 points to 1,068 points. The smaller supramax index remained unchanged at 948 points.

DATA POINT-

Iraqi Airways recorded strong revenue growth of over 34% y-o-y to IQD 138 bn during 9M 2024,according to a Transport Ministry statement. This is almost double the revenue of IQD 68.4 bn recorded back in 2022.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Saudi Arabia will host the Wings of Change Middle East from Monday, 2 December to Tuesday, 3 December in Riyadh. The event will bring together aviation leaders, regulators, and experts in air transport.

Morocco will host the Rail Industry Summit from Tuesday, 10 December to Wednesday, 11 December in Casablanca. The two-day summit includes pre-scheduled business meetings with potential partners, conferences, and themed workshops on new market trends and future strategies presented by OEMs on infrastructure, rolling stock, embedded equipment and railway vehicle interiors.

The UAE will host the Middle East Business Aviation Show from Tuesday, 10 December to Thursday, 11 December in Dubai. The event will showcase innovations from over 135 exhibitors and will have over 25 jets on display, with over 55 speakers offering insight on market trends.

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