en.Wedoany.com Reported - Maersk has announced it will resume Suez Canal transits on its India-Middle East-US East Coast (MECL) route. The route will navigate the Red Sea instead of the Cape of Good Hope detour used since Houthi attacks began in late 2023. Maersk stated that this adjustment will reduce westbound transit times by approximately 7 days and eastbound by up to 14 days, with plans to add a new eastbound port call in Jeddah starting in August. Previously, Maersk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd jointly announced a similar adjustment for their operated AE15 service.
Saudi Aramco is attempting to resume loading operations at its reopened Ras Tanura terminal, requesting customers to submit August loading requests. The terminal, which handled approximately 90% of Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports before the war, has restarted after months of closure. However, following renewed vessel attacks in the Hormuz region, some buyers are reluctant to send ships into the Arabian Gulf, with security risks, tanker shortages, and freight costs all challenging Aramco's loading resumption plans. Meanwhile, Aramco continues to offer buyers the option of lifting crude from the Red Sea's Yanbu terminal, with the Kingdom relying on the East-West Pipeline to divert crude to Yanbu in the event of a Hormuz Strait disruption.
Adnoc Logistics & Services (Adnoc L&S) has ordered four LNG carriers worth $900 million from China's Jiangnan Shipyard, bringing its total newbuilding projects to 18 vessels.
Morocco has launched construction of a logistics zone worth 275 million dirhams in the Moulay Yacoub province near Fez, another inland logistics node aimed at reducing the country's exposure to current maritime disruptions.
Travel demand in the Middle East has recovered to 90% of pre-war levels. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus expects major regional carriers, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, to continue expanding their fleets. Airbus has set its global traffic growth forecast at 2% for this year and projects annual growth of 3.9% over the next two decades. The company expects to deliver 42,000 aircraft during this period, with single-aisle jets accounting for approximately 80%, or 34,000 units.
Incom Group plans to invest $300 million in building a data center in Borg El Arab, Alexandria, Egypt. The project will be completed in multiple phases over three years, with Egypt's Ministry of Electricity supplying 100 megawatts in the first phase and increasing to 400 megawatts after subsequent phases become operational. Incom Group has previously signed memorandums of understanding with Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (CIT Ministry), Record Digital Asset Ventures, and SIC Investment to study the construction of a green data center powered by 200 megawatts of solar and wind energy.
International oil prices rose as US-Iran tensions threatened shipping safety on the Hormuz route, with Brent crude futures rising $3.10 to $79.11 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gaining $2.29 to $74.36 per barrel. The Baltic Exchange's dry bulk freight index rose 1.5% to 2,944 points, with the Capesize index up 1.9% to 4,655 points, the Panamax index edging down to 2,253 points, and the Supramax index slightly up 0.4% to 1,706 points. The Drewry World Container Index rose 2% last week to $4,639 per 40-foot container, driven mainly by higher freight rates on transpacific and Asia-Europe routes, with the Shanghai-Rotterdam route up 5%, and both the Shanghai-Genoa and Shanghai-Los Angeles routes up 2%.
In the first quarter of 2026, cargo volume transported via Jordan's road network reached 9.4 million tons, up 23.6% year-on-year. Exports led the growth, rising 35.5% to 4.5 million tons, while imports increased 14.2% to 4.9 million tons. Truck traffic through Jordan's land border crossings grew 11.9% to 318,500 vehicles.
