Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We have a meaty issue this morning with the latest PMI reports from the GCC, all the latest from the Red Sea, and a smattering of ports and cargo updates. But first…

We are excited to welcome on board Transmar, one of the region’s leading shipping lines, as our latest pillar advertiser of Enterprise Logistics. Headquartered in Cairo and founded by the El Ahwal family over 45 years ago, Transmar provides comprehensive maritime and logistics solutions for a customer base spanning across the MENA region, East Coast of Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. Operating in 13 countries and 22 ports, Transmar boasts the largest dedicated container fleet in the region.

Transmar joined the AD Ports Group family in September 2022, helping contribute to the group’s vision of becoming a global trade facilitator. With decades of experience in the shipping and terminals industry, Transmar is a leading force in the transport of the region’s trade.

We have long admired Transmar and have been delighted to have our friend Nada El Ahwal, the company’s chief strategy officer, join us for both exclusive private C-suite events and on stage at our conferences.

Enterprise Logistics is available to thousands of readers every day without charge thanks to the generous support of Transmar and Hassan Allam Utilities.

HAPPENING TODAY-

The Middle East Bunkering Convention will kick off today in Dubai and run through to Wednesday.. The event will bring together industry experts to tap into issues affecting the global marine fuel sector, including supply chains, decarbonization, and new fuels.

PSA-

Abu Dhabi is closing Al Ain City’s Zakhir Roundabout from Saturday 3 February to Thursday 2 May and traffic is being diverted, Abu Dhabi Integrated Transport Center said on X.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1-Egypt is surveying sites for 11 new freezones in a bid to attract FDI and boost exports, according to a statement released by the country’s General Authority for Investment and Free Zones. The proposed sites vary in size between 115 to 150 acres, with potential plots located in 10th of Ramadan City, El Alamein, El Sadat City, Burj Al Arab, October, Obour, Sohag, Beni Suef, Aswan, and Tiba, the statement said.

AND- Egypt’s ports to form joint-venture for seaport development: Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority, the General Authority for the Port of Alexandria, and the Damietta Port Authority will establish a joint venture dubbed the Suez Canal Company for Seaport Development, Masr Times reports, citing Egypt’s Official Gazette. The company will oversee the management, operation, and maintenance of multi-purpose terminals across Egypt’s ports, according to the newswire.

#2- Jordanian customs have reworked procedures and kicked off the “Golden List” at Aqaba Special Economic Zone, with reforms seeing a consolidation of customs guidelines to streamline compliance, according to a statement released last week. The Golden List will allow companies subscribed to the initiative to benefit from facilities and perks, subject to certain requirements, the statement added.

#3- Huawei to digitize Dubai’s customs systems? Dubai Customs met yesterday with a delegation from Chinese tech giant Huawei to discuss enhancing collaboration in digitization and information technology, as well as the introduction of digital customs procedures, according to a press release.

#4- Iran is set to inaugurate 760 km of new roads and highways by year’s end, in a bid to relieve traffic bottlenecks and develop the country’s transit corridors, IRNA reported on Thursday, citing deputy head of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company Mohammad-Reza Kadkhodazadeh. The projects extend across 16 provinces and come at an investment of IRR 263 tn (USD 6.26 bn), IRNA said.

Breakdown: The developments include 62 km of highways in West Azerbaijan province, 55 km in Bushehr, 68 km in South Khorasan, 97 km in Kerman, 51 km in Khuzestan, 68 km in Central province, 50 km in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, 14 km in North Khorasan, and 29 km in Razavi Khorasan, IRNA added.

#5- DP World + Australia’s Maritime Union (MUA) have finally reached a tentative agreement to end a months-long labor dispute, according to a statement released on Friday. The four-year agreement covers fair pay, safety, job security, and fatigue management measures for DP World employees, according to the statement. The agreement, which has not yet been endorsed by union members, also includes annual pay raises of 8%, 7%, 4%, and 4.5% for some 1.8k workers, Splash News reported on Friday. Work stoppages due to the labor dispute were costing DP World some USD 84 mn in losses per week.

MARKET WATCH-

The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index bumped up on Friday, but fell w-o-w on the back of a general decline in rates across all vessel segments,Reuters reported on Saturday. The overall measure — which factors rates for capesize, panamax, and supramax vessels — increased 1.4% on Friday to settle at 1407 points, driven by a surge in capesize rates, but registered a weekly decline of 7.3%. Capesize rates increased 5.5% on Friday to 2030 points, but ended the week 4.9% lower. The panamax sub index fell for its fifth straight session, dropping 3.5% to 1444 points, with a weekly decline of 14.9%. The supramax sub index fell 7 points to 1041 points, closing out the week with a 2.3% drop.

DATA POINTS-

#1-Qatar’s ports handled over 103k TEUs in January 2024, 39% of which were transhipment containers, according to a Mwani Qatar statement released on Thursday. The Qatai port and terminal operator also handled over 56k tons of general and bulk cargo, 31.3k heads of livestock, 6k RoRo units, and 49.7k tons of building materials in January, the statement added.

#2- DP World’s digital arm for the GCC Dubai Tradecarried out some 32.6 mn transactions in 2023, up 25% y-o-y, Wam reported on Thursday. 48% of 2023’s transactions were in clearance and border control and another 44% related to cargo handling and logistics. The initiative looks to bring diverse trade and logistics players together on a unified digital platform, WAM said.

#3- Morocco’s 2023 trade deficit narrowed 7.3% y-o-y to MAD 286 bn (USD 28.6 bn), on the back of reduced imports and boosted revenues from tourism, Reuters reports, citing a monthly report by the country’s foreign exchange regulator. Energy imports fell 20.4% y-o-y to MAD 122 bn, while wheat imports saw a 25.3% y-o-y drop to MAD 19.3 bn. Revenues from tourism surged 11.7% y-o-y to MAD 104 bn, on the back of a record 14.5 mn visitors. Greater automotive exports and stronger remittances also contributed to the country’s improved trade position for the year, the newswire added.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The UAE will host Breakbulk Middle East on 12 and 13 February in Dubai. The networking event brings together government officials, oil and gas players, and contractors with representatives from upwards of 8k companies from 98 countries.

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 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 TradeTech Forum on Tuesday, 27 February in Abu Dhabi. The forum will see some 180 trade leaders and experts discuss the technologically advanced trade environment and a showcase of trade tech solutions.

The UAE will host The Logistics Middle East Award on Wednesday, 6 March in Dubai. The awards ceremony brings together industry experts to celebrate the sector’s biggest accomplishments over the previous 12 months.The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, 19 January.

KSA will host a special World Economic Forum event from Sunday, 28 April through to Monday, 29 April in Riyadh. The event will focus on global collaboration and energy.

The UAE will host The Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit from 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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