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Logistics

Logistics news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

Cargo is loaded onto an aeroplane. The Middle East-Europe route accounts for 5% of global traffic

Middle East-Europe is ‘fastest-growing route for air cargo’

The Middle East-Europe route for air cargo was the fastest growing in the world in October, according to International Air Transport Association figures.  Annual growth in cargo tonne-kilometres stood at 15.3 percent in October, IATA said. The global average is 9.8 percent and the Middle East average is 4.5 percent. The Middle East-Europe route has […]

Iskenderun, where the Oman Investment Authority and Turkish pension fund Oyak are to build a new container port, was damaged by an earthquake in 2023

Oman and Turkish pension fund launches $500m JV

A new container port in the southern Turkish city of Iskenderun is to be the first project in a joint venture worth $500 million between one of Turkey’s leading retirement funds and Oman’s sovereign wealth agency.  The Oman Investment Authority (OIA) and the Turkish military pension fund Oyak plan to invest in a range of […]

People, Person, Adult The agreement between AD Ports and SC Zone in Egypt will enable strategic infrastructure projects in the Mediterranean Sea region

AD Ports explores building new economic zone in Egypt

AD Ports Group is exploring opportunities with the Egyptian government to build, operate and transfer an economic zone in East Port Said. As part of a framework agreement, the UAE port operator and the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SC Zone) will explore the building, operation, and transfer of the East Port Said Industrial Zone near […]

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO director-general, said the potential escalation of conflicts in the Middle East could lead to further increases in transport and energy costs

WTO predicts Middle East trade slowdown in 2025

Lower oil prices, the potential for conflicts to escalate and the impact of a Trump presidency are factors supporting the World Trade Organization’s prediction that trade in the Middle East will slow down in 2025, experts have said.  In its latest Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report, the WTO said Middle East exports will grow 5 […]

DP World chairman and CEO Sultan bin Sulayem met with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in January

DP World CEO shrugs off threat of US tariffs

A prominent Dubai business leader has downplayed the threat of tariffs from the incoming US administration of Donald Trump. Sultan bin Sulayem, chairman and CEO of DP World, one of the world’s largest port operators and a flagship enterprise of the emirate of Dubai, said on Monday that he was unfazed by Trump’s proposed blanket […]

Adnoc L&S's acquisition of shipping management services company Navig8 was announced during the first half of 2024

Adnoc L&S profit and revenue rise in third quarter

Net profit at Adnoc Logistics and Services (Adnoc L&S) rose 18 percent year on year to $175 million in the third quarter of 2024, driven by investments in energy-related maritime logistics. Quarterly revenue increased by 32 percent year on year to $928 million, supported by strong performance across all business segments. Nine-month top line climbed […]

Shipping Container, Cargo Container, Boat

AD Ports quarterly profit rises 11% to $121m

The UAE’s AD Ports Group said its annual total net profit rose 11 percent in the third quarter of 2024 as revenue reached a record high. The bottom line reached AED445 million ($121.2 million) in the three-month period ended September 30, compared with AED439 million in the same period last year. Revenue increased 10 percent year on year […]

Mubadala to sell Brazilian port and mining assets

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Capital has commenced work on selling Porto Sudeste, a Brazilian private port terminal. The port is co-owned with Singapore-based commodities trader Trafigura. Describing Porto Sudeste as a “mature” asset, Leonardo Yamamoto, executive director of Mubadala Capital Brazil, told Reuters that the company’s role is “no longer very relevant”. Mubadala Capital and Trafigura […]

DP World Australia operates four container ports and is taking on more than 40 Silk Logistics sites

DP World to acquire Australia’s Silk Logistics

DP World Australia has announced plans to acquire the freight and logistics service provider Silk Logistics Holdings, in a deal worth A$174.5 million ($114.9 million). The Australian subsidiary of Dubai’s DP World will buy Silk Logistics at a price of A$2.14 ($1.40) per share.  The transaction is subject to shareholder approval and regulatory approvals, and is […]

Revenue growth at logistics company Aramex was attributed to increases of 34 percent in international express and 18 percent in domestic express

Aramex quarterly net profit surges 177%

Revenue at Dubai-listed logistics company Aramex grew 18 percent year on year to AED1.6 billion ($436 million), driven by consistent volume gains across all product lines. The GCC region was the largest contributor, adding 21 percent year on year to revenue and accounting for 41 percent of the total revenues. The Middle East, North Africa and […]

Tanger Med handled 477,000 trucks last year and plans to double its capacity

Morocco’s Tanger Med port in $400m new funding

Morocco’s Tanger Med port complex has secured more than $400 million of funding for the expansion of its truck and passenger terminal.  International Finance Corporation (IFC) and a collection of international banks will fund the expansion of the port’s truck capacity to more than 1 million a year.  The Tanger Med complex, which has direct […]

Dubai Taxi says it remains optimistic about future growth across all its business segments

Dubai Taxi revenue up but profit slides

Revenue at Dubai Taxi Company, a subsidiary of the emirate’s transport regulator, rose 13 percent year on year to AED1.6 billion ($436 million) in the first nine months of 2024. The company said the result was due to a positive macroeconomic environment, a rise in tourism and population growth. The taxi segment was the primary […]

Air freight has been an increasingly important method of transportation since the conflict in the Middle East erupted and shipping routes were disrupted

Saudi Arabia and US expand aviation deal to include cargo

Saudi Arabia and the US have expanded their bilateral aviation agreement to allow seventh freedom traffic rights for all-cargo flights. Seventh freedom allows airlines to carry on flights that originate in a foreign country, bypass its home country, and deposit the cargo or passengers at another international destination. The amendment will allow Saudi Arabian airlines […]

Water, Waterfront, Construction

Suez Canal Economic Zone plans $3bn investment

Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCEZ) plans to invest $3 billion on infrastructure over the next few years to attract new investors, chairman Waleid Gamal El-Dein said. “We have been able to attract more than $6.3 billion of investments in various sectors and logistics and ports,” he told Reuters, expecting the number of projects to […]

Passengers in Terminal 3 at Dubai Airport. The UAE and Saudi Arabia reported respective air traffic growth of 39 percent and 30 percent

Gulf air traffic rebounds but fares still high

Air traffic in the Middle East and North Africa region has rebounded beyond pre-pandemic levels, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE marking the highest gains in volume. Traffic up to the second quarter of 2024 has also surpassed levels seen before 2020, according to a study by Airports Council International (ACI).  Bahrain (+24 percent), Qatar […]

United Marine Egypt Shipping will receive an undisclosed number of the Regent seaglider

Egyptian company buys into Neom-backed seaglider

United Marine Egypt Shipping will be the launch customer for a large passenger seaglider that is designed to travel at high speeds over water.  US maritime transport company Regent said UME will be the first to receive its Monarch seaglider. The Monarch is a 50-to-100-passenger electric craft that Regent says will travel up to 650km […]

The oil tanker Cordelia Moon is hit by a missile in the Red Sea, off Yemen's Red Sea Port of Hodeida, in this screengrab from a video released on October 1, 2024

Houthis target three ships in Red and Arabian Seas

Yemen’s Houthis said on Monday that they targeted three ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, attacks they called part of their efforts to enforce a naval blockade on Israel. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised address the vessels were targeted with missiles and drones for attempting to approach ports bound […]

Emirates freighters

More freighters on order at Emirates

Emirates, Dubai’s flagship airline, has ordered more freighters in a push to expand its cargo operations, reports in local and international media said.  The airline has ordered five Boeing 777 freighters, which are due to be delivered from 2025/2026 and brings the total number of 777 freighters on order to 14. “Demand for Emirates’ air […]

gulf capacity supply chain

Gulf companies can capitalise on spare supply chain capacity

Global supply chains have more spare capacity than at any time in the last 14 months – marking a window of opportunity for the Gulf to increase production and cut costs, experts say. Overall global demand for raw materials and commodities has deteriorated, according to the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index, whereas it has remained […]