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Maersk will return to Red Sea route once conditions permit, CEO says
Vincent Clerc, CEO of Maersk Shipping Company, said that the company will resume its navigation through the Suez Canal and Red Sea as soon as the conditions permit. Maersk began diverting ships away from the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and towards the southern tip of Africa after a Yemeni Houthi militant attack on one of their ships. The Houthi militants attacked the ship in solidarity with Palestinians living in Gaza. Clerc said that the company was encouraged by the progress of the Gaza peace process, which will allow for the freedom of navigation of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, linking the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea. This was revealed in a press conference held in Egypt with the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rahbie. Clerc stated that Maersk would take action to resume the East West Corridor via the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and eventually normalise the transit. Clerc said that Maersk would resume navigation via the Red Sea as soon as the conditions permit, and with safety of the crew as the top priority. The Suez Canal Authority signed a strategic agreement with Maersk during a press conference.
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Sources: Russia is weighing up how to support Russian Railways, which has a debt of $51 billion.
Two people familiar with the situation said that the Russian government is looking at different options to support Russian Railways. The company, the largest employer in the country, has accumulated a debt of 4 trillion roubles ($50.8 billion). The state-owned Russian Railways employs 700,000 workers and has seen its revenues fall amid the sharp slowdown of Russia's wartime economy. Meanwhile, debt costs are on the rise, driven by interest rates that have reached their highest levels in 20 years. Two people, who requested anonymity because the subject was sensitive, said that Moscow had been discussing ways to help the railways pay off its debt, which is mainly owed to banks of state. Sources said that these include increasing the price of cargo, increasing subsidies, reducing taxes, or even using money from the National Wealth Fund. One source said that Russian officials met in late November to discuss the current situation and will meet again in December. Requests for comments were not responded to by Russian Railways, Russian Government or the Transport Ministry. There are some ideas that haven't been discussed yet at the level of government, such as capping interest rates for Russian Railways to 9% and converting debts into stakes. This would give state banks a piece of the company. According to one source, a proposal would be to convert 400 billion Russian roubles in debt of Russian Railways into shares. Sources portrayed the measures as a "save" Russian Railways. Russian Railways operates the third longest railway network in the world after the United States of America and China. According to international standards, Russian Railways has reported revenues for 2024 of 3.3 trillion Russian roubles. Its expenditures are 2.8 trillion Russian roubles. The company's financial statement for 2025 first half reported a net debt of 3.3 billion roubles at June 30. This included 1.8 trillion of short-term loans. The debt grew by 0.7 trillion rubles in only half a calendar year. Russian Railways has been a leading indicator of the health of the Russian economy for many years. It transports oil, passengers and cargoes from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea and Baltic Sea. The state-dominated war-economy is a major challenge. Its struggles are a reflection of the challenges faced by too-big to fail companies that have debts with state-owned institutions. This leaves the state responsible for the debts at a time when Russia spends record amounts on its military, as the conflict in Ukraine enters its fourth year. RUSSIA SLOWS In the first two years of Vladimir Putin's presidency, from 2000 to 2008. Russia's GDP grew from $200 billion to $1.7 trillion. Currently, Russia's nominal GDP of $2.2 trillion, is about the same as it was in 2013, just before Russia annexed Crimea, and the economy will slow down sharply this coming year. The International Monetary Fund, however, has reduced its forecast for 2025 to 0.6% from 0.9%. The West claims it wants to cripple Russia’s economy in order to force the Kremlin into changing its course on Ukraine. However, Putin has stated that Russia will not bow to foreign pressure. Russian officials also claim the economy is secondary compared to the goals of the war. Putin claims that the economy performed better than anyone could have expected, despite the thousands of Western sanctions. He also says that it has remained debt-free unlike many Western countries. Despite this, he has acknowledged that there are some issues with investments and the pain caused by high interest rates. Sberbank's senior executive, who is the country's biggest lender, said that Russia's economy has been "continued cooling". Growth will be around 1% in next year, and business activity will remain weak for at least four or five quarters. $1 = 78.7500 Rubels (Additional reporting by Darya Korsunskaya and in Moscow; editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Tomaszjanowski).
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NATO scrambles jets following the deepest drone penetration yet into Romania
On Tuesday, Romanian and German NATO jet fighters scrambled near Romania's Ukraine border to respond to an incursion by a drone that penetrated further than ever before into Romanian airspace in what Bucharest referred to as a Russian provocation. Ionut Mosteanu, the Defence Minister, said that NATO pilots were close to shooting down the drone, which repeatedly violated the airspace of the member state, but held back out of concern for causing damage on ground. Later, drone fragments with no explosive charges were found on Romanian soil. Mosteanu stated that "we are dealing with a Russian provocation, a drone that the Romanian Army and German Eurofighters tried to shoot down." "My assumption would be that the pilots... analyzed the collateral damage potential and chose to not engage." Overnight, Russian drones struck Ukrainian ports near the border of Romania across the Danube River. The breach that Romania reported on Tuesday was the 13th violation of its airspace since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. It was not only the largest breach, but also the first one to occur during daylight rather than night. A DRONE TRACED more than 100 km INLAND The Romanian Defence Ministry said that it scrambled initially two Eurofighters, from a German air-policing operation in Romania. These aircraft tracked a drone before it returned to Ukraine in the county of Tulcea in Romania's south-east. Later, the army scrambled 2 Romanian F-16 fighters after radar revealed a second breach of airspace in the neighboring county Galati. Mosteanu reported that two more Eurofighters were sent after. The ministry stated that the planes were able to track the drone as it moved towards the county Vrancea. This county is located more than 100 kilometers inland and does not share any border with Ukraine. Residents in all three counties received a warning to seek cover. The warning was lifted later. Romania and Ukraine share a border of 650 km (400 miles). General Christopher Donahue of the U.S. Army Europe & Africa said that a new capability to shoot down drones would be deployed in Romania. "We have tested it and are in the final stages before it's used." This capability has been taught to Romanian soldiers as well as other soldiers in the alliance. I'm sure you will see it very soon on the Danube Delta. Romania has a law that allows it to shoot drones down in peacetime when lives or property is at risk. However, it hasn't fully used it. In recent months, tensions along Europe's east flank have risen after Russian drones allegedly breached NATO airspace. The latest breach occurs as U.S. officials and Ukrainian officials are holding intense talks to narrow their differences over a plan for ending the war. They have already agreed to modify an American proposal, which Kyiv and European allies viewed as a Kremlin list. (Reporting and editing by Andrew Heavens, Peter Graff and Luiza Hovet)
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CPC claims it temporarily stopped oil loadings out of Russia's Novorossiysk after a drone attack
The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said that it has temporarily halted oil loadings on its Russian Black Sea Terminal near Novorossiysk because of an overnight Ukrainian drone strike which damaged the office. It didn't provide any further details and referred to its previous statements regarding its operations, which are usually resumed once the air raid warnings have been cancelled. CPC's business operations were largely unaffected, according to a source in the industry. CPC is Kazakhstan's main export route to the global market, with the majority of volumes going to Europe and Asia. Russia contributes smaller volumes to CPC. CPC is owned by Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other major U.S. oil companies. CPC Blend oil Exports Sources claim that the November revision was to reduce production to 1.45 million barrels a day (bpd), down from 1.55 million. Officials in Russia's southern Krasnodar Region said on Telegram earlier that five residential high-rise buildings and two private residences had been damaged in the Ukrainian attack. The emergency services are bringing the fires under control. They say that falling drone debris has caused two fires. Four people have been reported as injured. In Krasnodar - the administrative hub of the region - it was also reported that drone fragments had damaged windows and destroyed buildings. A person was reported injured in a village located south of Novorossiysk. (Reporting from the bureau in Moscow, with additional reporting by Ron Bousso and Andrew Osborn in London)
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Heathrow Airport expansion plan of $64 billion chosen by UK
The government announced on Tuesday that it had chosen Heathrow Airport Limited’s plan of 49 billion pounds ($64 billion) to expand the country's largest hub over a more affordable option. After the government announced in January that it wanted to build a new Heathrow runway, they hoped the massive infrastructure project would help drive economic development. This decision ends decades of uncertainty over the future of the airport. Heathrow Airport was comparing its own plan with an alternative proposed by Arora Group. The group owns hotels and land around the airport and had estimated that it would cost 21 billion pounds, but did not include development costs. Heathrow was a "most viable option", according to the government, and it is most likely that the plan will be granted planning permission or development consent by 2029 - the end of this parliament. Heathrow Airport is owned by Ardian France, Qatar Investment Authority, and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The airport estimates a 49 billion pound bill to build a new runway and relocate a section of London’s M25 orbital autobahn. Heathrow Airport, located west of London is Europe's busiest and most crowded airport. It operates at maximum capacity. Heathrow's two runways are comparable to those of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Frankfurt Airport and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. ($1 = 0.7620 pounds) (Reporting and editing by Andy Bruce, James Davey, and Sarah Young)
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French Development Agency lends 300 million euros to South Africa's Transnet
The French development agency has agreed that the state-owned South African logistics group Transnet will receive a loan of 300 million euros ($345.78 millions) for clean energy initiatives. Transnet is responsible for managing the rail freight network, ports and pipelines of Africa's largest economy. After years of underperformance, the South African government has been trying to revive the company. This has stifled commodity exports such as iron ore and coal. However, turnaround efforts are just beginning to bear fruit. Transnet and AFD announced in a Tuesday joint statement that loan disbursements will be linked to progress made on sustainability goals, such as Transnet's increased use of renewable energies. The statement stated that the financing would also encourage a shift away from road transport and towards rail. This includes the rehabilitation of 550 kilometers of railway as well as the modernisation port infrastructure.
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Russia urges LNG cooperation with China as it sees potential for boosting oil exports to China
Alexander Novak, deputy prime minister of Russia in Beijing on Tuesday, said that Russia is looking to increase oil exports to China as well as to enhance cooperation with regards to the supply of liquefied gas. Since the beginning of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, in February 2022, China and India are the two largest buyers of Russian crude oil. China imports approximately 1.4 million barrels per day of Russian crude oil via sea, and about 900,000. bpd by pipeline. The United States introduced sanctions last month against Russia's largest oil producers Rosneft, and Lukoil. Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the sanctions, calling them unfriendly and saying that they wouldn't have a significant impact on the Russian economy. He also emphasized the importance of Russia to the global marketplace. Russia's crude oil exports to China and India have remained relatively stable despite conflicting reports. Novak said at a SinoRussian Business Forum in Beijing that Russia and Chinese partners have been discussing the possibility of increasing oil exports to China. He said, "We see the prospects of increasing oil supply via pipeline routes and sea." He said that the intergovernmental agreements allow for the extension of the terms for oil supply to China via Kazakhstan for a period of 10 years, until 2033. He later met Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexian, Russian government said. "Russia is a trustworthy supplier of oil to China." "We will continue actively working on expanding energy as a major area of partnership between China and Russia," Novak said at the meeting. Russia and China have also actively cooperated in the production and export of seaborne liquefied gas. Silk Fund, a subsidiary of China's state-owned energy giant CNPC, owns 9.9% of the Novetek project. U.S. sanctions against Ukraine have slowed down the export of LNG from Russia, particularly the new Arctic LNG 2 facility, and have also significantly reduced the use by the tanker fleet to transport fuel. Receive a 10% discount It received its first LNG cargo, from the sanctioned Russian Project at the end August. This was just days before a summit between President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin. Novak said at the forum that it was crucial to continue creating conditions for joint projects through joint efforts in the face of external challenges. Mark Heinrich/Guy Faulconbridge edited the article.
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The Gulf markets are mixed in their reactions to the US rate cuts
The major Gulf stock markets were mixed early on Tuesday, after the Federal Reserve's dovish remarks revived hopes of a U.S. interest rate cut in December. Fed Governor Christopher Waller stated on Monday that the labor markets have softened enough to justify a rate cut of 25 basis points at the December meeting. However, any further easing depends on the release of economic data which was delayed due to the government shutdown. His comments follow New York Fed president John Williams' Friday comment that interest rates will likely decline "in a near-term." According to the CME FedWatch tool, investors now price in an 81% probability of a rate reduction in December. This is up from 40% last Monday. The U.S.'s monetary policy changes have an important impact on Gulf markets where the majority of currencies are pegged with the dollar. Dubai's main stock index increased 0.4%. Toll operator Salik Company gained 1.7%, while blue-chip developer Emaar Properties rose 1.1%. Dubai has approved a budget for 2026-2028 with 302.7 billion dirhams in expenditures, and 329.2 milliards dirhams in revenues. The state news agency announced this on Sunday. In Abu Dhabi the index rose by 0.2%. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index fell 0.2% due to a drop of 1.2% in the oil giant Saudi Aramco, and a decline of 3.2% in Saudi Tadawul Group. Bloomberg News reports that Saudi Aramco has been exploring ways to raise billions of dollars by selling various assets. The oil prices, which are a major catalyst for Gulf financial markets, eased Tuesday due to concerns that the supply of oil will be greater than the demand in the coming year. This is more important than worries that Russian shipments would remain under sanctions because the talks to end Ukraine's war have not been conclusive. Qatar Islamic Bank also lost 0.7%.
Maguire: A refresher on Russia’s commodities clout before Trump talks
The talks between U.S. president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin could be the beginning of Russia's return to the world stage, and the return of its commodities after Moscow was recently isolated internationally.
Before its invasion of Ukraine, in 2022 Russia was the leading exporter and supplier of energy products into Europe. This included crude oil, natural gases, coal, aluminum, nickel, and steel. The sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow in 2022 have caused a major disruption of these commodity flows. Russia's gas exports through pipelines fell by half, and its oil shipments were diverted to new markets.
Here is a breakdown on where Russia stands in terms of production and exports for some of the most traded commodities around the world. This will give you an idea of potential market impact should relations with Russia resume to normal.
GAS CRUNCH
The fallout from Russia's invasion in Ukraine has had the greatest impact on natural gas.
Russia, the second largest gas exporter and producer in the world, has seen its outbound shipments severely cut after sanctions were imposed by Europe and the United States on Moscow in 2022.
Many European nations, including Germany, had secured the majority of their gas supply from Russia. However, they quickly reduced imports by pipeline in an effort to punish Moscow for starting war in the area.
The volume of Russian gas exported via pipeline fell by 38% from the previous year in 2022, and by 30% from 2022 as European buyers replaced those lost gas supplies with imported LNG and other fuels.
Data from the Energy Institute show that in 2024, Russia will export 108.2 billion cubic metres of pipelines, which is 46% less than 201.3 billion cubic metres exported in the year 2021.
In an effort to compensate for the revenue lost from gas pipelines, Russia increased exports of natural gas liquefied.
The Russian LNG export volume has risen by around 12% in the last 12 months and reached a record high of 44,3 billion cubic meters in 2024.
The lack of pipeline connections to other regions led to an increase in Russian gas inventories in 2022. This in turn led to increased gas consumption by industry and power companies and ongoing efforts to improve LNG export capability.
In 2023, the Russian industry cut production in response to a collapse in the export market. Since then, production has risen to 630 billion cubic meters in 2024.
CRUDE DIVERSIONS
Russians are the third largest crude oil producers and exporters in the world. This has had a major impact on the crude oil market.
The Russian crude oil market has also been hit by a decline in production and exports since 2022. However, exports are down more than the production due to increased domestic stocks.
Energy Institute data show that in 2024 the Russian crude oil production was estimated to be 10.75 million barrels per day, down by 4% from 11.2 million bpd produced in 2022.
In 2024, Russian oil exports totaled just over 7,000,000 bpd. This is a drop of 8% compared to the 7,6,000,000 bpd exported by 2022.
The Russian crude oil trade also saw a significant shift in its destinations as traders had to find new homes for their barrels.
Exporters had to find new markets for their oil, just as they did with gas. India, a country that has been a strong supporter of Russian oil traders in the past, is now stepping up its purchases as Europe reduces its oil imports.
Kpler's commodities intelligence firm shows that India's imports from Russia of crude oil have more than doubled between 2022 and the year 2024. They went from 321 millions barrels to 651,000,000 barrels.
Europe's imports from Russia of crude oil dropped 30% between 2022 and 2024. India became the largest market for Russian crude in 2013.
China, the second largest Russian crude oil purchaser, bought 460 millions barrels in 2024. This is an increase of 17% over 2022.
COAL, METALS & MUCH MORE
The war between Russia and Ukraine has also affected the coal markets, since Russia is the world's sixth largest coal producer. It is also the third largest coal exporter.
Due to a large fleet of coal-fired plants in Russia, the production of coal has remained largely constant since 2022. Local power companies have been using additional supplies previously exported.
The total coal production in Russia is expected to be down around 2.3% by 2024 compared to 2022, and exports are down almost 10%.
The competition between Indonesian coal and other producers has squeezed Russian coal off of several international markets. China and India, the two largest coal consumers, have also reduced their demand for coal imports.
The Russian Federation is also the world's leading exporter and producer of key metals such as aluminium, cobalt, nickel and palladium. These are in high demand across a wide range of industrial and technical applications.
Russia is a major producer of diamonds, industrial gases, wheat, barley and other crops. Any rapid resumption of trade between Moscow and international communities will have far-reaching consequences.
Any further deterioration of relations with Moscow after the upcoming meetings could keep Russia's abundant commodities out-of-reach for many buyers. This would result in tightening global markets.
These are the opinions of the columnist, an author for.
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(source: Reuters)