TODAY: Agility snaps up 50% of Groundforce Portugal

Good morning, nice people. We have a meaty issue this morning as we return from the weekend and gear up for an extended Eid break. There’s a bit of M&A, logistics hub and road developments, and a slew of aviation updates to unpack, so let’s get to it.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- UAE maritime and shipping company GulfNav is set to discuss the acquisition of oil storage outfit Brooge Petroleum and Gas Investment Company tomorrow, according to a DFM filing (pdf) released on Thursday. Gulfnav submitted a proposal earlier in the year for the structure of the acquisition of oil storage outfit Brooge Petroleum and Gas Investment Company to the Securities and Commodities Authority, after submitting a proposal to fully acquire the company from Nasdaq-listed Brooge Energy back in October 2023. The acquisition was initially expected to close in 4Q 2023.

Background: GulfNav confirmed that its advisors are still assessing the Brooge Energy acquisition in February, saying it aims to complete the evaluation within the coming weeks.

#2- Turkish Airlines’ order of 225 aircraft from Boeing could open up avenues for the domestic production of jet components, Turkish Airlines Chairman Ahmet Bolat told Bloomberg in an interview last week. The move comes as the airline looks to leverage its large orderbook to boost its domestic aviation manufacturing industry.

Relieving the pressure: Turkey’s contribution to aircraft supply chains could help smooth choke points while relieving pressure on log jammed production lines at Boeing and Airbus, Bloomberg said. Turkey’s order with Airbus also included provisions for local parts production, as part of a bid to speed up deliveries, Bolat explained. Delivery dates for some jets have been delayed by as much as six months, he added. “You make your own reservation, you start selling the tickets and then suddenly you find out that the aircraft is not coming,” he explained.

ON A RELATED NOTE- Saudia Group is in talks with Airbus and Boeing to boost its wide-body jet capacity, Saudia Group General Manager Abdullah Alshahrani told Reuters on Thursday. The number of wide-body jets for Saudia Airlines and Flyadeal is still being decided, but Saudia Group will place an order this year, Alshahrani said. Saudia ordered 105 narrow-body aircraft from Airbus last month, valued at USD 19 bn, marking the largest aircraft order in the Kingdom’s history.

The rationale: “A lack of production slots at Airbus, especially for the A320, forced the group to look at wide-body jets,” Alshahrani said on the sidelines of the CAPA India aviation conference in New Delhi.

What’s next? Alshahrani said Saudia Group intends to visit Comac’s China facility in September to evaluate the jets for future consideration, although it’s “not the time” to place an order. Saudia officials met with reps from Air India last week to talk about partnerships including a codeshare agreement, he added.

#3- UAE’s Jebel Ali Port is receiving a large number of unscheduled vessel calls on the back of diverted routes due to Red Sea disruptions, a spokesperson for port operator DP World told AlKhaleej on Friday. The boost in unscheduled calls is also due to adverse weather and congestion at other ports, the spokesperson said, adding that DP World expects the trend to continue into the near future. Ports in Singapore, China, and the US are also facing high congestion, the news outlet wrote, citing data from Linerlytica.

REMEMBER- Maesrk warned last week that global supply has been negatively impacted by “missed sailings, longer routes, equipment shortages, and delays leading to increased congestion across several key ports in Asia and the Middle East,” in its upgraded full-year earnings guidance for 2024.

#4- A big financing boost for Chabahar? India will reportedly earmark USD 1 bn for the development of Chabahar Port, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) Ali Akbar Safaei told Tasnim News last week. Negotiations for a contract on parts and equipment at the port are in their final stages.

REMEMBER- A USD 370 mn 10-year contract was signed between Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) and the Port & Maritime Organisation of Iran to manage and develop Chabahar port last May. At the time IPGL said it would invest nearly USD 120 mn into the project with an additional USD 250 mn in financing on offer.

#5- Boeing’s exiting CEO Dave Calhoun is set to testify at a US Senate hearing next week after a series of safety failures that have rattled confidence in the company, Reuters reported on Thursday. Boeing’s chief engineer will accompany Calhoun to the senate hearing scheduled on June 18, but will not be giving testimony. “Boeing made a promise to overhaul its safety practices and culture. That promise proved empty, and the American people deserve an explanation,” Senator Richard Blumenthal said, referring to arrangements made with Boeing following twin 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that saw 346 dead.

Whistles are blowing: A Boeing whistleblower testified before Blumenthal’s committee in April claiming the firm skimped on safety precautions on some aircraft production lines and he was sidelined when concerns were raised, Reuters writes. The US Justice Department also said last month that Boeing had not adhered to the terms of a 2021 agreement that safeguarded it from liability for the two deadly 737 Max accidents. The US planemaker is also under criminal investigation for a January mid-flight panel blow out on an Alaska Airlines operated 737 Max, the newswire also said.

It gets worse: Another two whistleblowers came forward with allegations of safety shortcomings on behalf of Boeing and key subcontractor Spirit Aerosystems, The New York Post reported last week. The pair — ex-Boeing employee Roy Irvin and former Spirit Aerosystems quality manager Santiago Paredes — allege that they logged numerous defects in aircraft and critical parts that were prepared for delivery. They also claim that they were reprimanded by management at the two firms for raising the issues and delaying production, the Post writes. A South Carolina law firm representing Irvin and Paredes has taken “dozens” of calls from other potential whistleblowers in the past few weeks, attorney Brian Knowles told the Post.

DISRUPTION WATCH-

Fires broke out on two cargo ships hit by Houthi missiles off of Yemen on Sunday, Reuters reports citing UKMTO and Ambrey reports. An Antigua and Barbuda flagged general cargo vessel was hit by a missile, causing a fire to break out which was later contained, the newswire says citing UKMTO. Despite also being attacked by another missile and gunmen aboard small boats, no injuries were reported aboard the vessel which increased its sailing speed and diverted to a port, Ambrey said. A second vessel was struck by a projectile some 70 miles southwest of Aden resulting in a fire. No casualties were reported aboard the vessel which proceeded on its journey to its next port of call after damage control, UKMTO and Ambrey also said.

Colombia’s trade ministry is looking to block coal exports to Israel due to its continued campaign in Gaza, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing a source and an internal document it had seen. The ministry made the recommendation to curb coal shipments to a committee that rules on tariffs and foreign trade, the document said. Israel imports some USD 450 mn worth of coal — over half its total coal imports — from Colombia annually. The state uses coal as an emergency backup fuel for electricity generation, but its contribution to Israel’s power production is set to drop to 3% by next year, Bloomberg explained. At the same time, Israel has significant coal reserves and alternative suppliers, former acting chairman of the National Coal Company Oren Helman said.

MARKET WATCH-

Oil prices edged up in early trading this morning on the back of rising demand during the summer season, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures gained USD 0.28 reaching USD 79.90 a barrel by 04.27 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate futures inched up USD 0.26 to hit USD 75.76 a barrel, the newswire said.

On the Opec+ front: Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the oil cartel could backtrack on planned oil production increases if the market was not strong enough, Reuters reported on Thursday. Bin Salman criticized Goldman Sachs for having a bearish outlook on oil, which he said is based on incorrect data. Some media reports and forecasts “fiddle with the market,” The National quotes the minister as saying.

Opec+ can still work around market uncertainties: “It’s a year and a half agreement, it has all the mechanics, some of the mechanics are not new, we have also exercised it before… Especially this issue of pausing or reversing,” bin Salman said on the alliance previously pausing the pumping of more oil when necessary.

Baltic Index gains on Friday: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — was up 0.64% at 1,881 points on Friday, as gains in larger vessel segments buoyed the index, Reuters reported on Friday. The capesize subindex rose 0.71% at 2,998 points, while panamax inched up 1.1% at 1,750 points. Meanwhile, the smaller supramax segment shed 1 point at 1,254 points, recording its lowest since 28 February, the newswire said.

Drewry’s World Container Index (WCI) gained 12% to USD 4.7k per 40ft container for the week ending Thursday, up 181% y-o-y, maritime research and consultancy firm Drewry said. The latest WCI index is also 232% greater than the average 2019 pre-pandemic rates of USD 1,420 per ft container. The average YTD composite index stands at USD 3,384 per 40ft container, USD 654 higher than the USD 2,730 10-year average, Drewry added.

DATA POINT-

Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) saw 8.09% y-o-y growth in cargo throughput in May, hitting 27.6 mn tons compared to 25.6 mn tons a year earlier, according to a press release. Exported containers boosted 13.61% to 255.3k TEU and imported containers gained 5.3% at 260k TEU. Meanwhile, transshipment container volumes dipped 46.77% at 132.5k TEUs.

PSA-

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has extended discounts fees for a range of vessel types and itineraries until the end of 2024, according to circulars out last week here, here, here, and here. Disc. periods were lengthened for dry bulk cargo ships operating between Australia and ports in northwestern Europe, beginning with Cadiz and extending northward. Lower fees will also continue for tankers running between the American Gulf and India, dry bulk carriers operating between Mauritania, the GCC, India, and the Far East, as well as dry bulk and other vessels journeying between Egypt’s Red Sea ports and Southwest Africa, the SCA circulars said.

Egypt is limiting speeds on most train routes due to high temperatures, according to a National Railway Authority statement that cites safety concerns on the back of the effects of high temperatures on rails and equipment. The relevant authorities are monitoring weather conditions, and despite decreased speeds trains in Upper and Lower Egypt are running normally.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Lebanon will host the East Med Maritime Conference on Thursday, 27 June in Beirut. The event will gather industry leaders to discuss the latest developments in shipping, maritime, and offshore industries to discuss industry innovations, alternative fuels, and decarbonizing emissions in the maritime sector and ports.

Turkey will host the ACI Europe Annual Congress on Tuesday, 2 July to Thursday, 4 July in Istanbul. The event will bring together 500 C-level airport executives, as well representatives from businesses engaged with airports, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and other stakeholders. The event will highlight discussions on the current state of the airport industry, geopolitics, the Turkish market, resilience, sustainability, and the diversification of revenues.

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