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TRADE-
AD Ports + ITC partner to collaborate on global trade: The UAE’s AD Ports Group has inked a strategic MoU with UN and WTO subsidy International Trade Center (ITC) to cooperate on facilitating global trade as well as logistics and transport through policy dialogue, a press release said on Friday. The two organizations will employ diverse strategies to streamline trade processes, enhancing the effectiveness of transportation, maritime operations, ports, and logistics sectors in the UAE, the GCC countries, and developing nations. They will assess existing frameworks and policies within these sectors to gauge their efficiency, and will work on enhancing and modernizing border services in accordance with global standards. The partnership will also provide technical assistance for developing and least developed countries (LDCs) to encourage their participation in global trade.
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Bahrain Chamber + China’s CCPIT sign agreement to boost trade: The Bahrain Chamber has inked an MoU with China’s Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Jiangsu to expand trade between the two countries, according to a statement. The pair aim to explore opportunities for investment in areas including technology, renewable energy, tourism, and manufacturing.
ZONES-
Egypt has revealed plans to establish a logistics zone for storing and distributing grains, according to a statement. The zone — which will help bolster global food security — compliments Russia’s proposal to establish a stock exchange for grain trade and distribution to improve agricultural trade between BRICS members, the statement said.
Egypt + Germany to cooperate on tunnel boring center: Germany’s tunnel boring machine manufacturer Herrenknecht inked an agreement with Egypt’s Ministry of Transport to establish Egypt’s first maintenance and rehabilitation center for drilling machines over 8k sqm in Tenth of Ramadan city, according to a statement. The project aims to enhance technical support for machines previously supplied by Herrenknecht as well as train over 200 Egyptian engineers and technicians on operating and maintaining drilling machines.
CARGO-
SAL Saudi Logistics has inked an agreement with Air China that will see the Tadawul-listed cargo firm offer air cargo handling services to the Chinese flag airline, state news agency SPA reported. It will also see SAL provide Air China with ground transportation connections in airports in the Kingdom and GCC.
Etihad Cargo to ramp up North America capacity: Etihad Cargo is set to expand its freight capacity to the North American market to meet rising demand, according to a statement. Collaborating with partner networks, the carrier plans to incrementally add 250 tons of weekly capacity to North American destinations, including New York, Chicago, Washington, and Toronto, with connections through European hubs like Lisbon and Barcelona. Currently, Etihad’s wide-body capacity to North America stands at 550 tons, with 445 tons to the US through 30 weekly flights and 105 tons to Canada via daily flights.
SHIPPING + MARITIME-
New shipping service added to Jeddah port: The Saudi Port Authority (Mawani) has added a new shipping service, operated by Chinese shipping line NewNew Line, to Jeddah Islamic Port, according to a statement. The service, dubbed CBS, will connect Jeddah with key Chinese ports, including Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. It also links to Egypt’s Damietta port. It operates weekly trips with a capacity of up to 4k TEUs.
LAST-MILE-
Aramex + DIEZ work to integrate autonomous last-mile system in UAE: UAE-based delivery solutions provider Aramex has initiated a pilot test for its autonomous robot delivery system at Dubai Silicon Oasis, according to a statement last week. Aramex and the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) will run the initial phase of testing for three months, after which the system is planned to achieve full operational status by September. This phase introduces a multi-cabin delivery robot that can make multiple deliveries per trip. The system is expected to cut carbon emissions by more than 500 kg over the first three months of operation. DIEZ is looking to expand the project to other economic zones, including Dubai Airport Freezone and Dubai CommerCity.
The Tech: The robots will be equipped with a pin code for secure delivery access, 360-degree video coverage, a swappable battery pack, and eight compartments for different parcel sizes.
OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING THIS MORNING-
- Tunisia + Oman ink air services agreement: Tunisia and Oman inked an air services agreement to collaborate in the aviation sector by organizing joint programmes to share expertise and to create partnerships between air carriers and services providers in the two countries. (TAP)
- Red Sea International Airport nearly complete: Construction on KSA’s Red Sea International Airport is 80% finished, with the main terminal’s steel structures and concrete in place. (Argaam)
- Volotea flies to Marrakech and Madrid: Spanish low-cost airline is expanding its Bordeaux services with flights to Marrakech starting 5 November and Madrid from 6 November. (Statement)
- Air Arabia flying directly to Athens: Air Arabia has launched its first direct flight to Athens from Sharjah International Airport, which will operate four-times a week. (Statement)
- IndiGO adds another Mumbai-Jeddah flight: Indian airline IndiGo is adding another daily flight between Mumbai and Jeddah starting 15 August, bringing the number of weekly flights between the two destinations to 14. (Press release)
