Transport Infrastructure

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board announced on Thursday that it had paused its review of Union Pacific's and Norfolk Southern's $85billion merger application, as it sought a?larger?amount of information from the companies. In morning trading, shares of Union Pacific dropped 4.2% while Norfolk's fell 5.4%. STB, who has exclusive jurisdiction for railroad mergers, said that the companies' merger request had been accepted but that proceedings, including environmental review, were put on hold. The Department of Justice may provide non-binding legal advice. The STB stated that "Several aspects of revised application are unclear or underdeveloped, and need to be supplemented at...

The 'head of the Federal Aviation Administration' said Wednesday that he expected the Boeing 737 MAX 7?to be certified this summer, and the MAX 10 - the larger version - to be approved by the end of?the?year. Bryan Bedford, FAA Administrator, said at an aviation conference in Washington that he expects Boeing to increase production of the 737 MAX again in the next ninety days. He said that the FAA backed Boeing's decision of increasing production from 42 planes per month to 47 planes. Bedford stated that it was important to the country for Boeing to be successful. "We're absolutely...

Boeing will increase 737 production from 42 to '47' jets per month, following consultation with the Federal Aviation Administration. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg announced this on Wednesday. At the Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions Conference,?Ortberg stated that "we're off and running?at the rate of 47 and we should be there within the next two months." Boeing's fourth 737 production facility in Everett (Washington) will allow the company to produce 52?jets per month by early next year. Ortberg stated, "I believe the entire world is watching to ensure we make (rate) 47 or 52." The FAA capped 737 production at '38 per...

According to Mexican sources who have direct knowledge of this matter, and four Mexican government documents, Ikon Midstream is being investigated in Mexico for fuel smuggling. Documents and sources indicate that the probe is part and parcel of ongoing investigations on maritime shipments from the U.S. to Canada of petroleum products in an alleged scheme of evading a large tax due for these imports. Ikon Midstream was allegedly one of the "central pieces," in a alleged scheme that involved one of Mexico's largest crime groups, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG. According to a document, Mexico's Attorney General's Office?opened an...

During a meeting between the Panamanian Foreign Ministry Javier Martinez-Acha and China's foreign minister Wang Yi, Xinhua's official news service reported that Beijing was prepared to 'deepen practical collaboration with Panama'. It also urged Central American countries?to protect Chinese firms' 'rights'. Wang, who met Acha at a United Nations Security Council Meeting in New York said 'China-Panama ties shouldn't be subjected to third-party intervention, Xinhua reports. This is a reference to U.S. pressuring over Chinese-linked facilities near the Panama Canal which handles 5% global maritime trade. The meeting follows months of tension about the future of the two major container...

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board called on the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday to revise its assessment of runway conditions during heavy rain, citing safety risks that airplanes could skid off the runway. These recommendations are the result of NTSB investigations into 11 runway overrun incidents and accidents that occurred from 2008 to 2022 after landing on wet runways. The NTSB asked the FAA for a reform of the so-called?Runway Condition Assessment Matrix? that uses a 6-point scale to assess the condition of paved runways. The board cited a 2019 runway overrun by a Boeing 737 at Jacksonville, Florida...

The Federal Aviation Administration proposed Tuesday that Alaska Airlines be fined $165,000 for allegedly allowing 'intoxicated' passengers to board multiple flights. The FAA stated that the alleged incidents took place on 11 flights between Feb 2024 and Feb 2025. They added that FAA regulations prohibit airlines from allowing anyone who appears intoxicated to board a plane. Alaska has said that it took the matter seriously and participated in a FAA audit of its policies regarding guests who are drunk on aircraft. Alaska announced Tuesday that since the FAA shared these concerns with us more than a year earlier, we have...

Two industry sources have confirmed that Trafigura, the commodity trader, plans to remove large amounts of copper from London Metal Exchange's warehouses in New Orleans. They cited a U.S. Tariff decision expected late in June. Trafigura, a Swiss company, declined to comment. The traders have moved large volumes of copper into the United States to prepare for possible import taxes that could increase shipping costs. The threat of import levies has increased the value for existing copper stocks, as holding copper in the United States allows customers to lock in supplies at pre-tariff rates. After a review, the United States...

Alphabet Waymo announced on Thursday that it had'suspended' its robotaxi service in the United States, and paused?operations? in Atlanta, Georgia as it updated its software to improve performance in construction zones and on flooded roads. The suspension comes at a time when other companies, such as Amazon's Zoox and Tesla, are stepping up their efforts in this sector. Waymo's spokesperson stated in an email that "we have temporarily paused the freeway operation as we integrate technical?learnings? into our software. We expect to resume these routes soon." Waymo offers freeway trips in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The company said that...

The White House on Friday urged legislators to pass rail safety legislation that has been stalled for years after a 2023 derailment in Ohio of a Norfolk Southern-operated locomotive caught fire, releasing over?a?million gallons hazardous materials and pollutants. The fate of the bill is uncertain despite support from President Donald Trump, many Democrats and railroads. Many Republicans and Democrats in Congress are also opposed to it. The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will be debating the five-year, $580 billion highway plan on Thursday. They are also considering adding a bill to improve rail safety. This would include stricter rules...

Cruise operators facing combined judgements of $440 Million The docks were confiscated by Castro's Cuba By Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (May 21) - On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a "setback" to four American cruise companies that had contested $440,000,000 in combined judgments. They were accused of "unlawfully using docks that had been seized by Fidel Castro’s communist government in Cuba in 1959." In an 8-1 decision, the justices overturned a lower court ruling that had thrown out judgments against Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and MSC Cruises. These companies were sued by the U.S....

SpaceX wants to launch 10,000 rockets annually in the next five years. However, government officials must first see that reliability has improved before they approve such an expansion. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that he had met with SpaceX president Gwynne shotwell who informed him of the ambitious goals set by the company. SpaceX will launch 170 satellites in 2025. Bedford claimed that Shotwell had told him about "the SpaceX five-year plan to reach 10,000 launches per year." Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said in a Forbes interview that aired last week that the company has already launched 10,000 satellites...

Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv is operating at only one-third capacity because of the presence of U.S. fuelling aircraft. This could lead to heavy flight cancellations in summer, according to the head of Israel Airports Authority. Director general Sharon?Kedmi told Kan's Reshet Bet that the military activities at the airport are limiting 70% of airport activity. He said, "We only use one-third the operational capacity of the airport." "We have reached the limits of our abilities." We will cancel some flights in the next few days. He added that foreign carriers would not be able to return in the...

Syria's General Authority for Borders and Customs (GABC) has signed an agreement with French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM to operate two dry ports in the free zones around Damascus. The agreement covers the management and operations of the dry ports in support of logistics and trade. The deal coincided with the launch a trial freight rail linking Syria's main maritime access port,?Latakia, to Adra, after a 14-year stop due to the Syrian Civil War. CMA?CGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This agreement is a follow-up to a separate contract signed by CMA CGM in...

The stock markets of the United Arab Emirates ended a tad higher on Friday, with Dubai outperforming the rest. This was due to rising oil prices. Investors were doubting the prospects of a breakthrough in U.S. - Iran peace talks. The nations are divided over Tehran's uranium stocks and the control of the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude rose 2.85% to $105.5 per barrel at 1130 GMT. Dubai's main stock market rose 0.6% led by the real estate and industrial sectors. Parkin Company, a parking service provider, and a blue-chip developer named?Emaar Properties both grew by 1.7%. Emaar Properties announced...

Donald Trump, President of the United States, vowed on Thursday to'recover' Iran's stockpile of highly enriched Uranium. This was despite Iran's comments that they would not give the material over. We will get it. We don't have to, and we don't even want it. Trump told reporters at the White House that he would probably destroy it once we had it. But we wouldn't let them keep it. Iran is thought to have about 900 pounds (or more) of highly enriched Uranium. Trump claims that U.S. airstrikes and Israeli airstrikes destroyed it a year or so ago. Trump's war on...

The crew of the tanker gathered courage and navigated carefully along the route designated by Iran. They hugged the coast and manoeuvred their massive vessel between island checkpoints in the Strait of Hormuz. Agios Fanourios 1, a 330 metre long vessel, loaded with Iraqi crude and bound for Vietnam had been bottle-?up near the coast of Dubai, since late April. On May 10, the tanker set out for the Strait of Hormuz after an agreement with Iran, overseen by Iraq’s Prime Minister. The Iranian orders to the tanker are part of the complex multi-tiered system that Iran has used for...

The U.S. Department of Treasury announced a settlement of $275 million with India's Adani Enterprises Ltd. over the potential civil liability of the company for 32 apparent 'U.S. sanctions' violations. The U.S. Department of Treasury announced on Monday that it had?agreed to a $275 million settlement with India's Adani Enterprises Ltd over the company's potential civil liability for 32 apparent violations of?U.S. sanctions. Treasury's Office for Foreign Assets Control released a statement stating that Adani Enterprises allegedly purchased shipments of liquefied petrol gas from a Dubai-based trader claiming to be supplying Omani and Iraqi gasoline, but the gas?actually originated from...

According to shipping data and industry sources, the United Arab Emirates, along with buyers, have recently sailed several oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz to transport the oil that has been bottled up by the Middle East conflict in the Gulf. These volumes are only a fraction of what the UAE used to export before the U.S./Israeli war against Iran, but they demonstrate the risk that the buyer and producer are willing to accept to increase oil sales. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq have all stopped selling oil, or cut prices dramatically to attract buyers who are not interested....

Saudi Arabian state oil producer Saudi Aramco has held its official selling prices for liquefied petroleum gas in May, while Algerian Sonatrach cut it by up to 18%, due to a higher global supply. Saudi Aramco’s?OSPs for May were at $750 per metric ton of propane Butane is priced at $800 a ton . Propane and butane, two types of LPG, have?different boiling point. LPG is used primarily as fuel for vehicles, for heating and for other petrochemicals. Sonatrach has reduced its?May OP for propane from $700 to $150 per ton And?for Butane by $20 per ton?to $880 . The...

The U.S. and Israel war on Iran is causing financial stress for companies in Australia and New Zealand. Higher fuel prices are stoking inflation, reducing consumer and business confidence and weighing on corporate earnings. Below are some of the companies from Australia and New Zealand who have reported an impact on their business due to the Middle East conflict. Air New Zealand, New Zealand's flag carrier, announced that it would be raising fares in response to the volatility of jet fuel prices in early March. It was one of the first airlines to do so. The airline announced on April...

Investors reacted positively to the United Arab Emirates decision to leave OPEC and the stalemate of the 'Iran conflict. The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday that it would leave OPEC, dealing a major blow to the alliance. The UAE is one of OPEC’s biggest producers. Its departure will weaken the group’s grip on the global oil?supply, and further its rift with Saudi Arabia. In Abu Dhabi, the share index rose 0.8%. This was boosted by a rally of companies linked to the oil giant?Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. ADNOC Drilling grew by 8.3%. ADNOC Gas grew by 3.1%. ADNOC...

Shipping data revealed that a superyacht associated with Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, who is sanctioned, sailed the Strait of?Hormuz Saturday. It was one of?very, very few vessels? to pass through the blocked shipping lane in the?heart of U.S.Iran conflict. Nord, a 142-meter (465 foot) yacht valued at over $500 million, left a Dubai Marina on Friday around 1400 GMT, crossed the Strait on Saturday and arrived in Muscat on Sunday morning. The multi-deck vessel's route is unclear. Iran has restricted the flow of traffic through the Strait since?February. The strait is responsible for around a fifth of the world’s oil...

China's Foreign Ministry rejected on Friday an accusation made by U.S. president Donald Trump, that a cargo ship?flagged with Iranian flag?was seized by the United States. The "gift" from China was the armed forces. The U.S. claimed it had fired and seized a cargo ship from Iran that was trying to evade the blockade of Iranian ports. The Iranian military claimed that the ship was en route from China, and promised retaliation for what it called "armed piratery by the U.S." military." Trump told CNBC on Tuesday that the ship had "some things on it, which weren't very nice." "A...