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Saudi Arabia Establishes New Railway to Reduce Carbon Emissions, Increase Carrying Capacity

The signing ceremony of a new railway service linking the north and east networks in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony of a new railway service linking the north and east networks in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Establishes New Railway to Reduce Carbon Emissions, Increase Carrying Capacity

The signing ceremony of a new railway service linking the north and east networks in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony of a new railway service linking the north and east networks in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) launched on Sunday a new railway service linking the north and east networks, passing through Jubail Industrial City to ship industrial materials and goods.

The Emir of Eastern Province, Prince Saud bin Naif inaugurated the railway project in the presence of the Minister of Transport and Logistics and SAR Chairman of the Board of Directors, Saleh al-Jasser, and Deputy Minister of Transport and Logistics Rumaih al-Rumaih.

SAR said that the new network aims to reduce carbon emissions, increase the carrying capacity of the freight train, support exports and the competitiveness of Saudi products.

The Railways added that this connection would contribute to providing integrated solutions and complete logistical services by linking the commercial and industrial ports in Dammam and Jubail with the train network.

SAR also said that the internal Jubail network would serve the industrial facilities in Jubail Industrial City that link it to the King Fahd Industrial Port and Jubail Commercial Port in Jubail.

It aims to promote traffic safety, reduce carbon emissions of other means of transportation, and increase the attractiveness of the local market through regional and international connectivity.

The Public Transport Authority indicated that the new project in Jubail will replace more than 200,000 trucks annually, which supports the logistic sector and preserves the environment and infrastructure.

The railway stimulates national industries and raises railway transport rates while integrating with other means of transport and improving the quality of life.

Meanwhile, Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) signed two contracts worth $170 million with PC Marine Services and Modern Building Leaders (MBL) to deepen and build new berths at Jeddah Islamic Port

It comes within the framework of Mawani's initiatives to enhance the maritime transport and logistics sector and upgrade port operations by implementing over 160 projects in line with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS).

The contract with MBL, in association with Huta Hegerfeld Saudia, will develop Jeddah Islamic Port's deepening of harbor approach channels, turning basins, waterways, and the south terminal basin.

These upgrades will enable the arrival of giant vessels with a capacity of up to 24,000 TEUs, besides attracting new global shipping lines to local shores.

Under the contract, PC Marine Services will build new berths (26 to 31) measuring 16 meters deep and 1,100 meters long at the multi-cargo terminals to receive large bulk grain carriers and accommodate larger vessels to cover the local market demand.

It also aims to secure the Kingdom's strategic reserve by increasing the amount of imported grain and enhancing the food security system through Jeddah Islamic Port.

Saudi ports are one of the most important economic and commercial tributaries and play a pivotal role in developing local, regional, and international trade.

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Turkish Companies ‘Paying the Bill’ as Political Crisis Roils Economy

Cats watch as fishermen gather their catch at Besiktas neighborhood in Istanbul on March 28, 2024. (AFP)
Cats watch as fishermen gather their catch at Besiktas neighborhood in Istanbul on March 28, 2024. (AFP)
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Turkish Companies ‘Paying the Bill’ as Political Crisis Roils Economy

Cats watch as fishermen gather their catch at Besiktas neighborhood in Istanbul on March 28, 2024. (AFP)
Cats watch as fishermen gather their catch at Besiktas neighborhood in Istanbul on March 28, 2024. (AFP)

Turmoil unleashed by the arrest of Türkiye’s leading opposition figure last week has sent shockwaves through the private sector, forcing companies to rethink strategy and dig in for a period of uncertainty and potential economic instability.

The detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who leads long-serving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in some polls, has provoked the largest anti-government protests in a decade, leading to mass arrests and international condemnation.

The move also sent the lira currency to a record low, fueling a sell-off of Turkish assets that has destabilized company balance sheets and driven up already high borrowing costs.

Company officials told Reuters that Turkish businesses across sectors were scrambling to reassess risk, with some already pausing planned investments and slashing budgets.

"The industrialists now have to pay the bill for a crisis they did not cause," said Seref Fayat, chairman of System Denim, which manufactures garments for leading Western brands and exports them to Europe and the United States.

Fayat, who also heads a garment industry lobby group, said his credit costs have spiked due to the market turmoil.

He had been drawing up budgets for a second-half expansion of his business in anticipation of an expected rebound in customer demand from Europe.

"We immediately shelved these plans following the latest developments," he said.

The lira has recovered somewhat after touching a record low of 42 to the dollar, but only after the central bank stepped in to prop up the currency.

And businesses worry more pain is on the way.

Expectations of declining inflation and lower interest rates following the adoption of an orthodox economic program that had promised Turks future relief after years of soaring prices and currency crashes, now seem in doubt.

In an unscheduled meeting last week, the central bank raised its overnight lending rate by two percentage points to 46%.

According to information provided to Reuters by bankers, short-term commercial loan interest rates have increased from an average of 42-43% to 52-53%, with some rates as high as 60%.

Morgan Stanley now forecasts any cuts to the central bank's policy rate will be shelved until June. And Goldman Sachs said it expected a hike in the policy rate by 350 basis points.

'EVERY COMPANY NEEDS A PLAN'

"The latest developments will affect companies' investment expenditures the most," Hakan Kara, a former central bank chief economist now on faculty at Bilkent University in Ankara, said on X, pointing out that investment had already been slowing.

"This will probably become even more apparent in the short-term."

The government has said the recent economic turmoil would be limited and temporary. But some company officials worry the crisis may only be beginning.

Elections are set for 2028 when Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades, will reach his term limit.

Many, however, see the arrest of Imamoglu, who was jailed on Sunday pending trial for graft, as an early indication he could seek to remain in power, either through an early election or constitutional changes that would likely face public opposition.

Mehmet Buyukeksi, a board member at Ziylan, which operates in retail and real estate, said expectations of a more positive business outlook in Türkiye based on government efforts to right the economy as well as strengthening demand were now less certain.

Improvements, including lower borrowing costs, that he had been expecting to see in July, he is now pushing back to September, he said.

And there are other knock-on effects.

One company official said some firms were carrying out human resources risk assessments, worried that they could face blowback if their employees participate in protests or share political content on social media.

Some conglomerates are reevaluating their risks in terms of exchange rates, inflation, funding costs and are significantly increasing the likelihood of negative impacts in their assessments, the company official said.

And a mergers and acquisitions consultant said that, while some foreign firms might look past criticisms that the Turkish government's actions are growing increasingly undemocratic, few will pour investment into an economically fraught environment.

"Everyone will re-do their calculations and books," said Fikret Kaya, the general manager of plastics and industrial equipment manufacturer Kayalar.

"We have had to make monthly evaluations that we used to make quarterly. I think every company needs to make a plan."