Good morning, nice people, and a happy Eid to all. The time has come for a well-earned breather and we wish you all a week of relaxation, family time, and lots of meat for those who indulge. Enterprise Logistics will be back in your inboxes on Monday, 24 June at our usual time.

We have a meaty issue this morning with news flowing in from across the region, but first, a big move in the EU-China trade scuffle…

THE BIG LOGISTICS STORY- The EU is gearing up to slap up to 38.1% in tariffs on Chinese EVs soon: The European Commission told automakers it will begin imposing additional tariffs on Chinese EVs from next month to protect its local automotive industry. On top of the preexisting 10%, the duties will stand at 17.4% for BYD, 20% for Geely, and 38.1% for SAIC. Companies such as Tesla and BMW that produce vehicles in China, but were “cooperative” during the investigation, will be hit with a 21% tariff. The tariffs follow similar protectionist moves by the US last month that quadrupled duties on Chinese EVs up to 100% and will lead to EUR bns of extra costs amid slumping demand and low prices in China. Germany, Sweden, and Hungary did not support the move to increase tariffs in fear of retaliation by the Chinese.

China is unfazed: The Chinese Passenger Car Association doesn’t expect the tariffs to have much of an impact on Chinese firms and says they fall within expectations. The Commerce ministry said it would monitor the situation and retaliate if necessary to protect the “legitimate rights” of Chinese companies. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian reaffirmed those claims and urged the EU to support free trade. The country has already fought back with an anti-dumping investigation into mostly-French brands and passed a law that would make it easier to retaliate if needed back in April.

The story is everywhere this morning: Reuters | AP | The Financial Times | Bloomberg | The Wall Street Journal | The New York Times | CNBC | CNN | BBC | The Guardian | Deutsche Welle

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Egypt is returning trapped funds to airlines: The Egyptian government has paid back some USD 400 mn worth of funds blocked from repatriation to airlines operating across Egyptian airports, Al Mal reports, citing comments made by International Air Transport Association (IATA) Regional Vice President of MEA Kamil Al Awadhi. The float of the EGP put airports under pressure and made them unable to give airlines their revenues from ticket sales and other activities.

REMEMBER- The association reported a global 28% dip in the amount of funds blocked from repatriation by governments between December 2023 to April 2024 to USD 1.8 bn, driven by “significant clearance of funds blocked” in Nigeria and Egypt.

ALSO- Egypt intends to break ground the Taba Maritime Port in 2024 or 2025, Asharq Business reports, citing Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir.

#2- Belgian maritime infrastructure firm Jan De Nul and Australia’s Fortescue will partner to lay a subsea cable to export green electrons from North Africa to Europe, according to a statement. The timeline and investment value for the project were not disclosed.

Green electrons, Enterprise? Green electrons are basically energy produced from renewable energy resources, according to Fortescue. Green hydrogen serves as the foundation for green molecules materials such as green ammonia. However, these molecules are only considered green if the carbon is meticulously managed throughout the supply chain and reused.

What they said: “There is a massive opportunity to send renewable electrons from Morocco and North Africa to Europe to industries and consumers…” Fortescue Chairman Andrew Forrest said, adding that Europe will soon begin imposing carbon taxes globally through its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on industries that fail to convert energy supplies to renewable energy.

#3- German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd expects the shipping industry to continue avoiding the Suez Canal despite a possible Israel-Hamas ceasefire, a company spokesperson told Reuters earlier this week. “Even if there were to be a ceasefire now, this does not mean that the Houthi attacks will stop immediately,” the spokesperson told the newswire, adding that in any case it would take “at least four to six weeks” to change schedules and return normal Red Sea routes.

The knock-on effects on the industry are noticeable: Reroutes around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Red Sea have surged with 47% of global crude oil and oil product shipments taking the longer route, Reuters wrote in a separate report, citing the US Energy Information Administration. Saudi Arabia and Iraq accounted for 15% of the total increase, sending their crude oil to Europe around the Cape instead of using the Suez Canal. Asian and Middle Eastern refiners accounted for 29% of the increased trade, diverting cargoes to Europe around the cape.

It’s “naive” to think vessels will return to the Red Sea “anytime soon,” CEO of Frontline Lars Barstad said on X. “The passage takes time and any ceasefire will be vulnerable with risk of crew being caught if it breaks,” Bastrad added.

Maersk also expects Red Sea shipping distributions to continue into 2H 2024, according to an advisory statement. Due to ships taking longer routes to avoid the Red Sea, there has been an estimated 15-20% drop in available sector-wide capacity in 2Q 2024, the statement notes. To cut down on delays, the shipping outfit has added 125k additional containers to its fleet and increased sailing speeds where possible.

MARKET WATCH-

#1- Oil prices fell in early trading this morning as investors mulled over a possible delay in interest rate cuts from the Fed, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures shed USD 0.23 reaching USD 82.37 a barrel by 04.15 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures fell USD 0.20 hitting USD 78.30 a barrel. Both benchmarks had gained about 0.8% in the previous session.

#2- Baltic index takes a dip: The Baltic Exchange’s dry bulk sea freight index — which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments — has fallen 2.75% to 1,831 points, as large capesize rates pushed down the index, Reuters reports. The capesize subindex fell 6.71% to 2,784 points. Meanwhile, the panamax index rose 2.15% to 1,807 points, its highest level since 24 May, and the smaller supramax segment was up 1.11% to 1,271 points.

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.

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