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Saudi MAWANI to Establish New Logistics Zones

A commercial ship sails from Jeddah Islamic Port. (Saudi Ports Authority)
A commercial ship sails from Jeddah Islamic Port. (Saudi Ports Authority)
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Saudi MAWANI to Establish New Logistics Zones

A commercial ship sails from Jeddah Islamic Port. (Saudi Ports Authority)
A commercial ship sails from Jeddah Islamic Port. (Saudi Ports Authority)

The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) aims to achieve the National Transportation and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) goals by consolidating Saudi Arabia's position as a global logistics center and a hub linking three continents.

It is seeking to increase private sector investments in ports and conclude contracts and agreements to establish new logistical zones and achieve a qualitative and comprehensive shift in work and operation mechanisms and logistical support in Saudi ports.

Vice President of Strategic Management at MAWANI Khaled al-Ghayth indicated it would create more job opportunities.

Ghayth told Asharq Al-Awsat that MAWANI is expanding strategic partnerships with major international and regional companies to add new shipping services to boost the Kingdom's position.

Supply chains

MAWANI is also taking practical steps to boost the sustainability of supply chains and support container and cargo transport operations, in line with the Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative, through smart technologies and logistical support mechanisms that consolidate the competitive advantages of Saudi ports.

He pointed out that the Authority added 31 new shipping services during 2023, reaching about 145 services linking the Kingdom to 350 regional and international ports.

The Authority signed several agreements to establish and lay the foundations for nine zones in the Jeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, and King Fahd Industrial Port in Yanbu, with an investment value exceeding $1.6 billion.

Ghayth stated that the new areas aim to support the prosperity of the movement and growth of supply chains.

Sea and air ports

In 2023, MAWANI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the General Authority of Civil Aviation and the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority (ZATCA) to enhance logistical connectivity between air and sea gateways, facilitating multimodal movement through Saudi Arabia.

Jeddah Islamic Port conducted a successful trial of sea-to-air integration.

Ghayth noted that MAWANI intends to bolster cooperation with international ports to support economic diversification and establish a more competitive and attractive investment environment.

In July 2023, the Authority concluded an agreement with Antwerp International Port to boost cooperation in port optimization, digital transformation, and capacity building.

A month later, it inked a partnership agreement with the Dutch Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, to boost cooperation in developing smart ports and human capabilities, while exchanging experiences and knowledge.

On Sunday, MAWANI laid the cornerstone for the Bahri Logistics Center at Jeddah Islamic Port to enhance logistics capabilities and supply chains.

Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and MAWANI Chairman Saleh al-Jasser, MAWANI President Omar Hariri, and Bahri CEO Ahmed al-Subaey attended the ceremony.

According to MAWANI, Bahri Logistics Services Company will manage the state-of-the-art facility that covers 95,436 square meters.

Bahri will manage the facility and offer multiple storage options in temperature-controlled areas, handling services, and added value services, enabling multinational companies to establish their hub in the center.

Hariri emphasized the pivotal role of the Bahri Logistics Center as a key component in MAWANI’s efforts to strengthen the maritime logistics sector, in line with the NTLS.

The project highlights MAWANI's commitment to bolster the infrastructure and capabilities of Saudi Arabia's logistics sector, contributing actively to economic growth and efforts to boost non-oil exports, as outlined in the nation's ambitious vision 2030.

Subaey expressed his enthusiasm for working with MAWANI and ZATCA to establish this cutting-edge logistics facility.

He emphasized its potential to significantly impact the national, regional, and global logistics sectors.

"Beyond enhancing our capabilities and positioning us favorably in the global logistics sector, the Bahri Logistics Center will allow us to capitalize on new opportunities, substantially enriching our role in elevating Saudi Arabia's status as a global logistics hub," he explained.

The Logistics Center is expected to be operational in the first half of 2025 and will offer exceptional storage and handling capabilities with over 80,000 pallet positions, 40,000 shelving units, and an annual throughput exceeding 900,000 pallets.

The facility will be equipped to store reefer, insulated, and dry containers. It will also provide its clients with various services like container maintenance and repair, container cleaning, bonded storage, and haulage.

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Business

Iraq Could Restore Oil Exports to Pre-war Level within a Week if Hormuz Reopens, Basra Oil Chief Says

A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Iraq Could Restore Oil Exports to Pre-war Level within a Week if Hormuz Reopens, Basra Oil Chief Says

A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
A cargo ship in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Iraq could restore crude oil exports to around 3.4 million barrels per day within a week provided the Iran war ends and the Strait of Hormuz reopens, the head of the country’s state-run Basra Oil Company said.

Among Gulf oil producers, Iraq has suffered the biggest drop in oil revenue as a result of the effective closure of the Strait, a Reuters analysis has found, because it lacks alternative shipment routes.

But the country, the second biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, can quickly restore output to levels before US-Israeli attacks on Iran at the end of February led to the effective closure of the waterway. The Strait typically is the route for about a fifth of global oil and LNG flows.

SO FAR IRAN HAS MADE ONLY VERBAL PROMISES

Bassem Abdul Karim said Iran has so far provided only verbal guarantees that would allow Iraqi tankers permission to transit the Strait.

“We have not received any formal documents regarding permission for Iraqi tankers to pass,” he said in an interview with Reuters.

He said production from Iraq's southern oilfields was around 900,000 barrels per day, but if the war ends and safe passage through the Strait is guaranteed exports could reach 3.4 million bpd within a week.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran unless it makes a deal by the end of Tuesday that would allow traffic to move through the Strait of Hormuz.

STEEP DROP IN IRAQI OIL OUTPUT

Last month, Iraq’s oil production dropped by about 80% to around 800,000 barrels per day, Iraqi energy officials told Reuters last month as the war meant Iraq could not export and storage tanks filled.

With limited outlets for Iraqi oil, production from the Rumaila field fell to around 400,000 bpd, down from about 1.35 million bpd before the conflict, and at the Zubair field the level was about 300,000 bpd, down 340,000 bpd before the war, Abdul Karim said.

Several smaller fields are being operated at limited levels to ensure continued production of associated gas, used in domestic power generation, while shutdowns at other sites have been used as an opportunity to carry out maintenance work, he added.

Production from Iraq's fields was around 4.3 million bpd before the war, which should leave enough leeway to export 3.4 million bpd even allowing for war-related damage.

Gas output from fields in Basra has dropped to around 700 million standard cubic feet per day, compared with about 1.1 billion standard cubic feet mscf per day before the war, largely because of the reduced oil production, Abdul Karim said.

MEETING REFINERY DEMAND

To supply domestic demand, BOC is sending around 400,000 bpd of crude to northern Iraq. That includes about 150,000 bpd by truck and roughly 250,000 bpd via a domestic pipeline, to supply refineries that have demand of around 500,000 bpd.

Production from the northern Kirkuk fields is roughly 380,000 barrels per day, Abdul Karim said.

Asked about the impact of drone attacks, Abdul Karim said strikes on oil facilities had caused “major losses to the continuity of production and oil operations,” adding that both foreign and Iraqi service companies had been targeted.

A two-drone attack that targeted the Rumaila oilfield on Saturday wounded three Iraqi workers, security and energy sources told Reuters.

Abdul Karim said the attack on the northern part of the Rumaila field hit sites used by US oilfield services companies Schlumberger and Baker Hughes, causing a fire that was later brought under control.

Neither Schlumberger nor Baker Hughes immediately responded to requests for comment.

Business

Gold Holds Nearly Steady with Focus on US-Iran Tensions

Gold jewelry in a Korean gold exchange store in Seoul (AFP)
Gold jewelry in a Korean gold exchange store in Seoul (AFP)
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Gold Holds Nearly Steady with Focus on US-Iran Tensions

Gold jewelry in a Korean gold exchange store in Seoul (AFP)
Gold jewelry in a Korean gold exchange store in Seoul (AFP)

Gold prices were nearly steady on Monday, as market participants stayed cautious and awaited further signals on the evolving US-Iran situation and its impact on global interest rates.

Spot gold was little changed at $4,669.13 per ounce by 9:26 a.m. ET (1326 GMT) after falling 1% earlier in the session. US gold futures rose 0.3% to $4,694.20 per ounce, Reuters reported.

On the eve of a US deadline, the United States and Iran were weighing the framework of a plan to end their five-week-old conflict, even as Tehran pushed back against pressure to swiftly reopen the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump has threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran if it did not make a deal by the end of Tuesday.

"Focus is likely to remain on the war and interest rates. If the conflict drags on, oil will grind higher amid tightening supply conditions, adding to inflationary pressures," said Bart Melek, global head of commodity strategy at TD Securities.

"That leaves central banks, particularly the Federal Reserve, with less room to ease policy and could even revive discussions about higher rates if energy prices rise further, which is negative for gold."

Oil prices fell in choppy trading on Monday, though they have risen sharply since the conflict began.

Gold is widely regarded as a hedge against geopolitical risks and inflation, but because it yields no interest, it tends to be less attractive when interest rates are high. Other items on investors’ radar include minutes of the Fed’s March policy meeting due on Wednesday, US Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data due on Thursday, and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Friday.

The US central bank held rates steady last month and a majority of traders now see no chance of the Fed cutting interest rates this year, according to CME’s FedWatch tool. Among other metals, spot silver fell 0.4% to $72.67 per ounce, platinum lost 1% to $1,969.81, and palladium was down 1% at $1,488.58.

Business

Morocco Launches Financial Futures Trading with Contract on MASI 20 Index  

File photo of a police officer standing near a Moroccan national flag near the main stadium during preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup in Agadir, December 10, 2013. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
File photo of a police officer standing near a Moroccan national flag near the main stadium during preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup in Agadir, December 10, 2013. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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Morocco Launches Financial Futures Trading with Contract on MASI 20 Index  

File photo of a police officer standing near a Moroccan national flag near the main stadium during preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup in Agadir, December 10, 2013. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
File photo of a police officer standing near a Moroccan national flag near the main stadium during preparations for the FIFA Club World Cup in Agadir, December 10, 2013. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Morocco on Monday began futures trading in financial instruments with its first listing of a standard futures contract on the MASI 20 equity index, the central bank and the AMMC - the capital markets regulator - said.

The contract, called the "MASI 20 Future," is based on an index that tracks the 20 largest and most liquid stocks listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange, they said in a joint statement, AFP reported.

The contract's launch coincided with the unveiling of an institutional website by the Futures Market Coordination Body, a joint authority established to coordinate oversight of the futures market between the central bank and the AMMC.

The introduction of a futures contract represents the first step under Morocco's regulatory framework for derivatives trading, which will also allow for the development of other instruments such as options and swaps.