Good morning, nice people. We apologize for the short delay reaching you this morning. There’s significant news emerging from Davos as DP World, acting on behalf of the Dubai government, makes big moves in Pakistan. Dubai has signed two investment framework agreements with Pakistan to cooperate on railways, economic zones and infrastructure.

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

PSA-

Abu Dhabi - Al Ain Road will see a partial road closure from Friday 19 January to Sunday 21 January, Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Center said on X.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Iran’s Rasht-Caspian Railway Project is set to be inaugurated within two months, Mehr News Agency reports. The 37 km railway is located in Gilan Province and will connect the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, boosting connectivity and trade links between the two regions. It is also expected to promote transit trade in northern Iran and contribute to Anzali Freezone, while also contributing to the larger International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

#2- Marine biofuel demand at Singapore — the world’s largest bunkering hub — is likely to double to nearly 1 mn metric tons by 2025, Reuters reports, citing a senior TotalEnergies executive. Several shipping firms are testing out marine biofuel as an eco-friendly substitute for traditional fuel oil to help lower their carbon emissions. Bio-blended marine fuel sales at Singapore increased more than threefold last year to top 500k tons, the newswire adds citing data from Singapore's port authority.

#3- DP World and MUA labor conflict continues: The standoff between UAE-based port operator DP World and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) is ongoing as industrial action continues at the port operator’s facilities amid a dispute over pay, ABC News reported on Tuesday. Australia’s Fair Work Commission (FWC), a government tribunal that arbitrates industrial disputes, told workers that their work stoppages could continue at DP World’s Sydney, Brisbane, and Fremantle terminals. The MUA however reportedly withdrew some work bans, and backed down from plans for eight-hour delays and bans on certain shipping lines, but will proceed with lower level stoppages.

The labor dispute has been ongoing for months, costing USD bns: Strikes have been ongoing since October 2023, with DP World saying in a letter to customers earlier this month that it would no longer tolerate work stoppages and would penalize participants. Disruptions have cost the company some USD 84 mn a week, or USD 1.34 bn up until earlier this month.

DATA POINTS-

Saudi Port Authority’s (Mawani) ports saw a 12% y-o-y in container handling to 8.4 mn TEU in 2023, according to a statement. KSA’s overall ports recorded a 9.01% increase over the same period to 11.4 mn TEUs handled. Mawani’s ports saw a 16% y-o-y increase in exported containers to 2.6 mn TEU, while imported containers saw a 12.7% boost to 2.6 mn TEUs and transshipments bumped 9% to 3.2 mn TEUs, the statement said.

Iraq’s Umm Qasr Port witnessed an increase in containers handled to 1.4 mn TEUin 2023, up from 1.1 mn TEU the previous year, according to a statement. The total volume of cargo unloaded also experienced a rise to 12.4 mn tons of goods from 9.4k tons. Additionally, the number of ships docked spiked to 1.12k from 925 vessels in 2022.

ACT breaks record: Jordan’s Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) recorded its highest handling volume ever with some 899k TEUs processed in 2023, ACT said on X earlier this week. The bump in figures is attributed to improvements in services and adherence to global safety and security standards, the statement said.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The UAE will host Transport Middle East from Tuesday, 23 January through to Thursday, 25 January in Abu Dhabi. The event will see more than 30 speakers come together to tackle the current challenges in global transportation and logistics.

The UAE will host the Middle East Bunkering Convention from Monday, 5 February through to Wednesday, 7 February in Dubai. The event will bring together industry experts to tap into issues affecting the global marine fuel sector, including supply chains, decarbonization, and new fuels.

The UAE will host Sustainable Aviation Futures MENA from Monday, 12 February through to Wednesday, 14 February in Dubai. The event will see 80 expert speakers and upwards of 200 high level attendants and will handle topics pertaining to regulation, financing, and investments in Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in MENA.

The UAE will host the Future Warehouse & Logistics 2024 Conference from Monday, 12 February to Wednesday, 14 February in Dubai. The event will handle means for supply chain leaders to boost resilience and overcome challenges, with discussions on disruptions, sustainability, Internet of Things (IoT), automation, workplace management and other topics.

The UAE will host The Electric Vehicle Innovation Summitfrom Monday, 20 May to Wednesday, 22 May in Abu Dhabi. The event will see industry leaders come together to discuss sustainable mobility and tapping into groundbreaking advancements in electric vehicles while engaging with key decision-makers.

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

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