MSC’s new intermodal route to connect Europe to GCC via Saudi land bridges

The name of the game is intermodal

Shipping giant MSC is set to launch a Europe-Red Sea-Middle East express service on 10 May, giving Europe-origin cargo a direct Red Sea gateway into Saudi Arabia before onward movement to the UAE and Upper Gulf via inland trucking and feeder maritime connections.

Formalizing the intermodal bypass: MSC had already been pushing Asia-to-Gulf cargoinland — connecting King Abdullah and Jeddah to ports in the Arabian Gulf with its Dragon and Jade services, giving cargo another route into Asian markets without relying on the disrupted Strait of Hormuz.

AD Ports could soon land on the ground in Azerbaijan

AD Ports Group and Azerbaijan’s Azcon Holding signed an MoU to explore joint investments in ports, shipping, and digital trade hubs in Azerbaijan. The agreement comes a few weeks after the two countries’ trade and economic partnership agreement officially entered into force. The CEPA aims to eliminate or reduce tariffs on 95% of goods and includes a dedicated services chapter designed to stimulate supply-chain integration.

Abu Dhabi has been expanding its reach across the Middle Corridor — this month, AD Ports signed a strategic agreement with Romania’s National Company Maritime Ports Administration to modernize the Port of Constanța, which is a European gateway for cargo from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. AD Ports is also active in Kazakhstan, with joint ventures spanning rail and ports projects.

Board seat denied

The Cairo Economic Court is backing EGX-listed Juhayna’s decision to block Qatari dairy rival Baladna from seeking board representation, Juhanya said in a statement.

The court upheld Juhayna’s decision to bar Baladna’s candidate from standing for election to the company’s board of directors, citing what it said was a “violation of competition standards and anti-monopoly regulations.”

It’s the latest exchange in a testy minority-rights battle that has so far had no impact on bilateral ties between Doha and Cairo. Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority in December struck down a competitor clause in the company’s articles of association that Juhayna had designed to prevent Baladna from seeking a board seat. Baladna has been the second-largest shareholder in Juhayna since 2022 with a 16% share of the company. The founding Thabet family’s Pharon Investment holds just over 50%.