SHIPPING + MARITIME-
Bahri to charter methanol-powered vessels from Proman:National Saudi shipping firm Bahri subsidiary Bahri Chemicals and methanol producer Proman have inked a five-year agreement to charter two methanol-powered vessels, according to a statement released on Thursday. The two ships — the Stena Provident and the Stena Progressive — will be used to transport a variety of products internationally. The IMOIIMeMAX ships are advanced dual-fuel tankers that are highly efficient for transporting cargo, the statement said.
Egypt has added a new dry bulk ship with a total tonnage of 82k to its commercial fleet, according to a statement released last week. The Wadi Al-Arish vessel is 299 m long, 32.2 m wide, with a draft of 14.5 m. It will be operated by Egypt’s commercial fleet operator the National Navigation Company, partially owned by the Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport and the Suez Canal Authority’s Canal Shipping Agencies. The move comes just seven months after Egypt added the Wadi Al-Malouk cargo vessel to its fleet. Egypt’s recent fleet expansion is part of its efforts to position itself as a logistics and trade hub. The country’s national commercial fleet is now composed of 14 vessels, according to a statement.
E-COMMERCE-
Egyptian wholesale e-commerce service TijaraHub launched a B2B e-commerce platformto help SMEs in Egypt and Turkey reach global markets, according to a statement from last week. The platform currently displays products from over 300 Egyptian factories and aims to reach 1k factories by the end of 2024. The company plans to release a mobile application by March 2024. The launch of the platform comes on the back of “the revival of relations between Egypt and Turkey on both political and economic levels and the increase in the volume of trade exchange between the two countries,” TijaraHub’s CEO and co-founder Mohamed Sharif said in the statement.
RAIL-
Jordan is exploring the construction of a new train line linking Amman and Zaqra and reaching Queen Alia International Airport, Jordan News reported last week, citing Director-General of the Jordan Hejaz Railway Corporation Zahi Khalil. The train line would cover a distance of 65 km and handle 40k – 50k passengers a day.
OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING THIS MORNING-
- Bahrain’s Tamkeen supports MAE Aircraft Management Company: Bahrain’s state-owned fund Tamkeen is supporting MAE Aircraft Management Company — a JV between regional Air Cargo groups MENA Aerospaceand Asia Cargo Network — with a training program for Bahraini aviation graduates planning to work in the local air freight industry. (Statement)
- Flydubai heads to Kenya: UAE airline Flydubai launched four weekly flights from Dubai International Airport to Moi International Airport, Mombasa. (Press release)