Latakia Port lands Syria’s first Ro-Ro service after war

UAE-produced vehicles get a Europe-bound access courtesy of Latakia

Latakia Port opens a UAE-Europe vehicle corridor: Syria’s Latakia Port handled its first vehicle transit shipment under a new UAE-to-Europe model — loading more than 200 cars that arrived via the Nasib border crossing for onward exports to markets, including Spain and Belgium. The operation marks the first use of this Ro-Ro transit model at the port, linking Gulf overland flows with Mediterranean shipping routes through Syria.

More volume is already in the pipeline: Over six vessels are scheduled to call at Latakia, with more than 4k vehicles set to move to and from Gulf markets, alongside other cargo from Europe and North Africa. The activity builds on earlier momentum this month — when the first transit container rerouted through Syrian territory from Jordan’s Aqaba Port to Latakia.

Egyptian-Emirati alliance to launch USD 500 mn mixed-use portfolio

Emirates Global has partnered with Egyptian developer Delta Capital for UrbanDevelopment to launch a USD 500 mn portfolio of mixed-use projects across Egypt, Zawya reports. The 500-acre portfolio will span residential, commercial, and service projects in Cairo, Kafr El Sheikh, and El Mahalla El Kubra, and first construction moves will begin in 2027.

Another Chinese tiremaker circles Egypt for production base

Chinese tiremaker Shandong Linglong is looking to set up a USD 2 bn tire manufacturingcomplex in Egypt’s Borg El Arab. While no timeline was given for the complex, company representatives said that they’re looking to secure the required licenses and approvals to move forward with the project. The tiremaker plans to export 90% of output — primarily tires for cars and heavy vehicles, alongside key feeder products, including rubber and carbon black — to the US and the GCC. The project will be set up in cooperation with Fit & Fix parent company Nile Projects and Trading.

Talabat expands its Yanmu presence

Talabat inaugurated the Middle East’s largest express commerce distribution center in Hassan Allam Utilities’ Yanmu East Logistics Park in Cairo, according to a cabinet statement. The 27k sqm facility has capacity for up to 1 mn items per day. It supports Talabat Mart’s network across 12 cities — expandable to 17 — and includes 75k storage locations. This is Talabat’s second facility in Yanmu after inaugurating a 22.4k sq distribution center last year with a daily capacity of up to 1.6 mn.

Tech’s doing the heavy lifting: The operation runs on real-time systems integrating inventory, retail, and supply chains, with in-house AI models forecasting demand, optimizing stock, and automating processes to minimize losses.