Transport Infrastructure

After an incident that occurred?on?Tuesday, in which Iranian gunboats approached U.S. flagged tankers in the strategic waterway to the north of Oman, it has been brought back into focus. The U.S. Military also announced on Tuesday that it had shot down a?drone? from Iran which "aggressively approached" its Abraham Lincoln aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea. This is the most visible part in a U.S. buildup of military forces in the Middle East. Analysts have said for years that an escalation of tension in the region may lead Tehran to try to close the strait, or target the tankers. Here...

Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison announced on Wednesday that its Panama Ports Company division has initiated international arbitration proceedings against Panama, after a Panamanian court annulled the company's licences to run two?Panama Canal port. Panama's Supreme Court canceled last week CK Hutchison’s contract to run two Panama Canal Ports at the core of a $23 billion deal?to sale the Hong Kong conglomerate’s global port assets. Court said that the contract of Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, violated 'Panama’s 'constitution because it gave the company exclusive tax exemptions and privileges. Analysts said that it is difficult to predict how...

China warned Panama that it would pay "heavy" prices if a court decision in Panama annulled the contract of Hong Kong's CK Hutchison to operate?two port at the Panama Canal. China's Hong Kong & Macau?Affairs Office branded the ruling of Panama's Supreme Court as "absurd", "shameful, and pathetic" and vowed that it would defend the interests Chinese firms. The Panamanian authorities didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. The court's ruling last week invalidated a contract held by Panama Ports Company (a CK Hutchison subordinate) since the 1990s to operate container terminals on the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of...

Shipping data shows that Venezuelan oil exports increased to 800,000 barrels a day (bpd), from 498,000 in December. This was after the U.S. captured Nicolas Maduro, and the end of a blockade on oil, which allowed traders to carry the majority of exports. Washington imposed a crude oil embargo against the U.S. sanctioned country to put pressure on Maduro in December and seized 7 tankers. The blockade caused the accumulation of 40 million barrels crude oil and fuel in tanks and vessels onshore that couldn't be exported, forcing Venezuela's state energy company PDVSA (the Venezuelan government-owned energy company) to reduce...

According to a statement released by Cargill in response to questions on Monday, protesters are blocking the entrance to its?Santarem terminal in northern Brazil. Cargill denies any occupation of their facilities by protesters identified by local media, as Indigenous groups. Cargill's terminal in?Santarem handles corn and soybeans. According to the news website G1, Indigenous people protested at the site in opposition to a decree that allowed dredging on the 'Tapajos river, which is a key export corridor for agricultural products. Cargill stated that the protest started on January 22. Cargill said in a statement that it had "no control" over...

Analysts said that the near 9% decline in copper prices over the past two days is a return to "reality" for a market, whose recent surge of record highs was 'ahead of?the fundamentals. More losses are likely. They say that weak demand, increasing stockpiles and the possibility of increased supplies made it clear that copper's record-breaking rally last Thursday to $14,527.50 per metric ton was not sustainable. Alice Fox, Macquarie's analyst, said that prices had risen far beyond the fundamentals. "Investors were rushing into the market and pushing up prices", she added. "We believe the market was in a global...

The Panama Supreme Court annulled CK Hutchison’s contract last week to operate two Panama Canal Ports. This was part of a deal worth $23 billion to sell all the global port assets owned by the Hong Kong-based conglomerate. Court said that the contract of Panama?Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, violated Panama’s constitution because it gave the company exclusive tax benefits and privileges. What We Know: CK 'Hutchison is controlled by Hong Kong’s richest man Li Ka -shing. In March last year, a deal was announced that covered 43 ports in '23 countries', 'including two near the Panama Canal',...

The Federal Aviation Administration finalized on Friday a rule that will require cockpit voice recorders in all new passenger aircrafts to retain 25 hours of data by 2027, compared to the current 2-hour loop. Since 2018, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been advocating for the change. The United States, however, is lagging behind many other countries in terms of the requirements for commercial planes. The voice recorder records transmissions, sounds and voices in the cockpit. This includes the pilots' and engine noises. It can be vital in determining why plane crashes happen. The FAA rule that was proposed...

The Panama Supreme Court ruled that a contract signed by a Hong Kong-based company in 1990 to operate the ports at the Panama Canal was in violation of the Panama Constitution and did not serve the public interest. The court released its decision on Friday, but did not explain the reasoning behind it. The decision was first reported by local TVN, and has since been confirmed by an official of the court. The decision was a win for Washington amid intensifying U.S. - China rivalry on global trade routes and President Donald Trump’s attempts to exert dominance over Latin America....

Big Tech earnings this week have been a clear message: Investors are willing to overlook spending on artificial Intelligence if it drives strong growth but will punish companies who fall short. The stark contrast in the market's?reaction? to Microsoft and Meta's earnings on Thursday was a reminder of how much has changed since ChatGPT launched the AI boom over three years ago. Microsoft lost 10% of its market value, losing more than $350 Billion, after its cloud business did not impress. Meta, however, gained 10%. Microsoft's $3.2 trillion market value still surpasses Meta's $1.86 billion, but Meta shares have risen...

Norfolk Southern reported an increase in its fourth-quarter profits on Thursday, citing a?cost control strategy amid a fluctuating freight demand and persistent macroeconomic pressure. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board sent Union Pacific's $85 billion merger proposal back to the company earlier this month for revision. Surface Transportation Board has deemed that the December merger application is incomplete. Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena, however, said the request was routine and that the deal would still be completed in the first half 2027. Mark George, Norfolk CEO, said that the rejection of the merger request was more a "procedural" issue than a...

Lunate, based in Abu Dhabi, has appointed Mohammed Hassan Alsuwaidi as its executive chairman and managing director. He will be leading the firm's global expansion strategy. Lunate manages $115 Billion in assets, and describes itself in a press release as an independent commercial partner-led alternative investing company. Alsuwaidi will help to expand its international presence, and deepen institutional capital relationships. Over the next five years, the firm plans to double its assets under management. Alsuwaidi is the founder CEO of ADQ. The fund is owned by Abu Dhabi and is the third largest sovereign wealth fund in the emirate. Since...

Data from LSEG and market sources showed that Russia's seaborne gasoil and diesel exports increased 19% over the previous month. This was due to a seasonal decline in domestic demand, which prompted traders to ship out more. The data shows that exports were 4,6% lower than in January 2025, as drone attacks, maintenance and other factors affected the output. Sources said that the shipment of ultra-low sulphur diesel through the Baltic port Primorsk - Russia's largest port for?diesel imports - jumped 32.4% in one month, to a new record of 2.256 million tonnes, supported by an increase in production. The...

The government's media office announced on Friday that Abu Dhabi's new sovereign wealth fund L'imad Holding has taken 'control' of ADQ. This is a major consolidation which creates 'a 'new investment heavyweight' in the wealthy emirate, under the crown prince. The board of L'imad was announced in this month's first public disclosure. It is a new investment heavyweight in the wealthy emirate under its crown prince. The Abu Dhabi Crown prince Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the eldest child of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed, chairs it. Sheikh Khaled was appointed crown prince of the UAE in 2023....

The doors of the blue-and white trams creak as they rattle into the large square at the center of Alexandria. Many passengers can recite each stop off by heart. But the clatter of single and double-deck trams along this century-and-a-half-old ?line - a source of civic pride and transport alike for tens of thousands of daily commuters ?in Egypt's ?second city - is soon to be stopped. Next week, the authorities will begin a major renovation to replace the trams that have been in service for nearly 14 kilometers (9 miles) with a light rail system controlled digitally. This is...

Adani Airports urged India on Wednesday to relax limits on how many seats foreign carriers can sell?on flights into and out of?the country, saying that the curbs were holding back its ambitions to become a world aviation hub. These limits are part of bilateral agreements to protect domestic carriers, but they have long frustrated overseas carriers. Dubai's Emirates has, for instance, said that demand is much higher than the weekly seat limits under the India-UAE agreement. Arun Bansal, Chief Executive of Adani Airports, said that "in the short-term" bilateral agreements are limiting growth in Indian aviation. He made this statement...

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority said that electric air taxis developed Joby Aviation will begin commercial operations in Dubai before the end of this year. Joby Aviation's first fully electric air taxi test flight in the emirate was conducted in June 2025. This is a significant milestone in Dubai's efforts?to introduce them to its existing transport networks. The Joby Aerial taxi, developed by a Californian company, is the "flagship" electric vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft. It can travel up to 160 km (100 miles), at speeds of 320km/h (200mph). Joby’s air taxi has zero emissions and is...

According to Spanish police and Turkish Airlines, a false bomb threat received via an onboard mobile connection forced a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul on Thursday to land at Barcelona's El Prat Airport after making an emergency landing. Turkish Airlines spokesperson stated earlier that crew had detected that a passenger created an in-flight hotspot that was named with a?bomb warning as the aircraft approached?Barcelona. The Guardia civil?police force in Spain said that after a thorough examination of the aircraft, following the disembarkation of its passengers, the alert was deactivated. No explosives were found. Spanish airport operator AENA confirmed that El...

Kazakhstan called on Europe and the U.S. to secure oil transport after drone attacks on tankers headed to a Black Sea Terminal on the Russian coast that handles 1% of the global supply. Unidentified drones attacked at least two oil tankers in Tuesday's Black Sea, including a tanker chartered by U.S. major Chevron. They were sailing toward a terminal along the Russian coast that would load oil from Kazakhstan. In a press release, Kazakhstan's foreign ministry said that three tankers had been hit on their way to the Black Sea marine terminal for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. Drones attacked CPC’s...

Three autonomous regions of Somalia with close ties to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have rejected a central government decision taken this week to "sever" ties with UAE, which has been a long-term sponsor. Somalia canceled all agreements with the UAE on Monday, including those in the security field. The country accused the Gulf of having undermined Somalia's sovereignty by 'training and funding' its army, and investing in its ports. Somalia has not provided any further information about its motives for this move. Mogadishu investigates allegations that the UAE escorted a separatist leader from Yemen to Somalia via Somalia. Separately...

Data from LSEG and market sources showed that Russia's seaborne gasoil and diesel exports increased by almost 40% in December compared to November, reaching about 3,41 million metric tonnes. This was due to higher fuel production, and a'seasonal decline in domestic demand. Sources said that exports of ultra-low sulphur diesel via Primorsk - Russia's largest outlet for diesel shipments - grew 35% on a month-on-month basis to 1.7 millions tons as major suppliers increased output and supplies. Last month, diesel?and gasoline loadings at southern ports Tuapse?and Novorossiysk increased by?almost 60 percent compared to November. This was due to local refineries...

The Somalia government announced on Monday that it was 'annulling' all agreements with United Arab Emirates. This includes?port deals, defence and security collaboration, and'security and defence cooperation. It accused the UAE of undermining the national sovereignty. The Council of Ministers of Somalia said that the decision was based on "credible reports" and "convincing evidence" of hostile acts undermining the national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of Somalia. In a press release, it was stated that the decision "applies?to?all agreements and partnerships relating?to the ports of Berbera?and Bosaso?and Kismayo... and] bilateral security and defense cooperation agreements." The?UAE foreign ministry didn't...

Oleksiy Kuleba, Ukraine's deputy prime minister, said that Russian drones attacked two foreign-flagged ships on Monday. This was the second attack on Black Sea shipping in four days. Kuleba stated that the vessels were flying the flags of Panama and San Marino. He also said one person was injured. He added that the San Marino flagged vessel had just been loaded with corn and was on its way to Panama to pick up vegetable oil. Kuleba posted on Telegram that "this is further proof that Russia is deliberately targeting civilian vessels, international commerce, and maritime security." Sources familiar with the...

These are the most popular stories from the Wall Street Journal. These?stories have not been verified and we cannot vouch for their accuracy. U.S. prosecutors have opened an investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for his testimony about the renovation of the building at the Federal Reserve Bank last summer. Allegiant Travel has reached a deal worth $1.1 billion to purchase Sun Country Airlines. This is despite the fact that budget airlines in the U.S. are facing stiff competition from their larger competitors. Walmart plans to expand drone deliveries to '150 more stores in the next year, with a...