Transport Infrastructure

The Russian state news agency TASS reported that Vladimir 'Putin' said on Wednesday, Russia would respond in kind if a?European country seizes?ussian mercantile vessels. The remarks come at a time when the EU is intensifying pressure on Russia's shadow fleet. It has expanded sanctions against hundreds vessels and detained some ships for inspections. Several European governments have stated that they are exploring tougher enforcement measures against ships suspected of evading sanctions. Putin was quoted by TASS as saying that these measures were nothing less than piracy and robbery. If?this is put into practice, then we will have to retaliate in...

Six U.S. railways and a pair of industry groups have lost their appeals against a new rule requiring many 'trains to operate with at least two crew members. This ruling was issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit. The Federal Railroad Administration has imposed crew requirements on freight railroads. This includes Union Pacific, Berkshire Hathaway's BNSF and other rail companies. This rule was enacted after organized labor fought for crew levels in the face of a heightened scrutiny on railroad safety, following a derailment that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio?in 2023, which caused cars containing toxic vinyl chloride...

Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, said that he is working to fix telecom issues raised?after? a military helicopter with President Donald Trump sped too close last week to a departing passenger jet at Reagan Washington National Airport. The incident raised serious concerns about why the passenger plane?was allowed?to depart while Marine One was near, at a time when commercial traffic is usually halted. After a crash in January 2025 between a military heli and a commercial plane that killed 67, the Federal Aviation Administration banned mixed helicopter and jet traffic around the airport. Duffy, a reporter at Newark Liberty...

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced?on Monday?that it expects to?temporarily suspend flight operations at Washington Reagan National Airport between 10:15 am (1415 GMT), and 1:15 pm on August 23, to support the 'Freedom 250 Grand Prix IndyCar Race. IndyCar will be racing through Washington's streets from August 22 to 23 in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The general admission tickets are free. However, spectators may pay to join the "Champions Club," which offers an "exclusive experience" during the race weekend. A two-day package costs $5,000 per person. In recent months, the FAA has shut down airspace...

People familiar with the matter say that Blackstone Infrastructure’s Safe 'Harbor 'Marinas is close to a $1.5 Billion deal for MarineMax. The deal will end a long-running battle for the recreational yacht retailer. It caters to wealthy clients through 65 marinas, 70 dealerships and storage facilities, mainly in the United States. Last month, it was reported that activist investor Donerail as well as private equity firm Centerbridge were also bidders. Safe Harbor will pay around $53 in cash per share to purchase MarineMax, according to sources. This is a substantial premium over the closing price on Friday of $35.68. Calculations...

The agriculture ministry warned on Monday that a disruption of grain exports through Black Sea ports could lead to a shortage of grain storage capacity in Ukraine. Ukraine has harvested more than 17 millions metric tons from 34% of its sown land. The ministry stated that a storage shortage of 11 million tons could occur and it had asked U.S. Partners for assistance in acquiring equipment for temporary on farm?grain storage. APK-Inform analysts estimate that Ukraine's harvest in 2026 could reach 60 million tons. Exports are projected at 39 million tonnes, and carryover stock reaches a record 14.3 million tones....

Berkshire Hathaway started reducing its huge?stockpile in the second quarter. It invested billions of dollars in stocks, including 'Alphabet, and purchased billions more of its own. Conglomerate announced on Saturday that it repurchased $4.5 Billion of its own shares in the second quarter, and another $3.3 Billion in July. This is an acceleration of repurchases begun in March after a two-year break. Between?April to June, it bought more than $20 billion in stocks. This marked the end of 14 consecutive quarters where stocks were sold at a loss. Berkshire added $10 billion to its already large investment in Alphabet, the...

Four?industry?sources' said that a proposed deal between Iran & Oman, which would give Tehran control of ships entering the Gulf via the?Strait of Hormuz, is not easily attainable?due U.S. sanctions & restrictive insurance clauses for any?payments. The narrow waterway connecting the Gulf to the Indian Ocean, before U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in February unleashed a war on Iran, was the main route used by a fifth or more of the world's oil and other essential goods. The waterway was open to all vessels without any fees. The biggest obstacle to ending the conflict has been the control of the strait....

I Squared Capital, a global infrastructure investor, will purchase Indonesian logistics and cold storage company Cella. This marks its entry into Southeast Asia’s largest economy, as it plans to expand a lot over the next 4 or 5 years. Harsh Agrawal, senior partner at Cella and based in Miami, said that the investor wants to increase Cella's cold storage and warehouse space from 231,000 square meters to approximately 1.5 million square meters. I Squared has announced that it will purchase the entire business of NWP Property, a Japanese logistics facility specialist and CRE. The financial terms of the deal were...

Next week, the official who headed the Federal Aviation Administration's response to the deadly January 2025 collision between an Army helicopter & an American Airlines regional passenger jet near Reagan Washington National?Airport that killed 67 people will step down. In an email, Deputy FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau told his employees that he would be leaving the agency to pursue a new job. Acting deputy administrator will be Liam McKenna, the FAA's General Counsel. The National Transportation Safety Board found that the FAA allowed helicopters to fly close to airports without any safeguards, and failed to act on data or recommendations...

The Egyptian cabinet confirmed on Thursday that a 'drone' was responsible for the fire which engulfed the two gas ships at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta. This is the first confirmation that the blaze that broke out a day before was not an accident. The cabinet said that no party had claimed responsibility and authorities continued their investigations, taking the?necessary steps to protect Egypt's security. Ambrey, a British maritime security company, said that on Wednesday a "drone" had struck a U.S. owned gas storage tanker in the port. This was an initial assessment which raised concerns over a possible 'further...

Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, said on Wednesday that a drone had struck a U.S. owned gas storage tanker in Egypt's Mediterranean Port of Damietta. The company cited an initial assessment. The Egyptian petroleum ministry released a statement that confirmed the fire in the port, but did not mention a drone attack. Inchcape, a port services company, said in an unrelated message that two gas tanks had caught fire near Damietta. Three trading sources who were familiar with the incident confirmed that the drone struck a floating storage tanker named Energos winter, causing an explosion which spread to a...

The Russian authorities quickly cleaned up the damage caused by an attack from a Ukrainian drone that sparked a fire in Ust-Luga on Friday, a major hub for oil exports. Ukraine has struck targets in Russia, including ports, refineries, and commercial warehouses in an effort to raise the cost for Moscow to continue the full-scale conflict it launched in 2022. Drozdenko wrote on the Russian messaging service MAX that "all the consequences of the attack at the port of Ust-Luga?have been cleared." "There were not any casualties." He did not provide any further information. Drozdenko had earlier claimed that more...

Ukraine will ship more grain via the?Danube River and neighbouring countries in?eastern Europe after a Russian?blockade? of key Black Sea ports caused exports to plummet 76% year-onyear so far this August, said the state railway operator on Thursday. Ukrzaliznytsia reported that grain exports have reached 201,700 tons this month. In a recent report, it stated that "the pace of export shipments has been extremely low due to the blockade at seaports." Since the end of December, Russian attacks on Ukrainian Black Sea export terminals, vessels and ports have effectively stopped shipments. Ukrzaliznytsia stated that export cargo is being redirected towards...

Chicago wheat futures rose around 3% Wednesday, after Ukraine attacked grain terminals at the main Russian wheat exporting port of Novorossiysk. This sparked fears that supplies would be disrupted to global markets. Soybeans, corn and other grains rose in advance of a U.S. Agriculture report on world supply/demand later Wednesday. Chicago Board of Trade?most active wheat increased 3.05% at $9.49-1/2 per bushel by 0929 GMT. Soybeans increased 0.3% to $11.73-1/4 bushels, while corn rose by 0.7% to $4.63-3/4 bushels. Industry sources said that two of Russia's largest grain terminals at the Black Sea port Novorossiysk have suspended operations as a...

The Financial Times reported?on Wednesday that Ukraine had halted drone strikes on oil tanks using Russia's port at the?Black Sea, Novorossiysk, after receiving a request by U.S. Vice President JD Vance. The paper reported that the request was made last month after U.S. concerns that Ukraine destabilised oil markets and harmed U.S. companies by targeting tankers transporting crude oil piped from Kazakhstan into a Caspian?Consortium terminal at this port. The newspaper reported that Ukraine had agreed to not target CPC infrastructure or non-Russian ships as long as they were not subject to Ukrainian sanctions, and did not carry Russian oil...

The government of Oman said that an oil slick covers 390 square kilometres (150 sq miles) of ocean off its coast. This is after a ship?under sanctions? and?carrying Russian petroleum sustained damage. Two maritime security sources confirmed that the crew of?Caroline?Bezengi first reported problems on June 8, off Mukalla in southern Yemen. Initial assessments suggested that an explosion occurred onboard. In its first public disclosure, Oman announced on Monday that it is working to stop the oil spillage in its waters near the Hallaniyat Islands of southern Governorate Dhofar. According to a statement by Oman's?Environment Authority, carried by Omani state...

Ukraine and Russia both accused the other of deadly attacks on Sunday. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Moscow had targeted global food security when it struck Odesa's port. Three people were 'killed and wounded 37 times in the eastern Ukrainian city?Kharkiv?where an apartment block of multiple floors was struck, and authorities in Russias Belgorod reported that five people were killed and twenty-five wounded by a Ukrainian aerial attack. Zelenskiy claimed that a strike had damaged Odesa's port. Local authorities reported that dozens of drones, missiles and other weapons struck the southern seaside town injuring about a dozen people. Zelenskiy stated...

The Russian Embassy in Berlin on Friday dismissed a suspected 'drone attack' at a major German?air?freight hub as a "fabricated provocation", saying that it was yet another example of accusations made against Russia without any evidence. The?embassy expressed its concern over a new wave in anti-Russian hysteria that has swept Germany, according to a statement posted on the website of its German and Russian versions. The German Federal Prosecutors launched an investigation this week on what they described as a serious incident that could have affected foreign and domestic security. The drone was discovered late Tuesday night at the Leipzig/Halle...

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has approved the sale of the 30.4% government stake in the Sheremetyevo airport, the largest airport in Moscow, at a moment when Russia seeks to?restore its war-depleted finances. Putin signed a decree Thursday removing Sheremetyevo's name from the list of official strategic enterprises. The state will still retain a "golden share" that allows it to block management decisions. The decree prohibits the sale of a stake to foreign investors and requires that the purchaser continue with 'the core business' and modernisation. The four-and-ahalf years of conflict in Ukraine have put a strain on the...

The Black Sea region is the latest strategic trade chokepoint that has been hit by an escalating conflict. The Black Sea is an important route for grain, crude oil and refined products. The waters of the Black Sea are shared between Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania. In recent weeks, both Russia and Ukraine have intensified their attacks on the other's agricultural export vessels and facilities in the Black Sea region. Kyiv also increased its attacks on Russian oil tankers. The latest escalation creates another pressure point on commodity markets, already dealing with disruptions in major shipping routes across the...

According to industry sources, and calculations, Belarusian gasoline and diesel supplies to Russia reached a monthly record in July. Fuel shortages were caused by unplanned outages at Russian oil refineries after months of relentless 'Ukrainian drone attacks. According to industry data and calculations, the Russian gasoline production had dropped early in July, to around 65% the average seasonal consumption. Diesel production had also fallen to the same level as domestic demand. The?Russian Government, in response to rising fuel prices at retail and wholesale, banned diesel exports. However, it allowed exemptions under previous contracts and intergovernmental agreements. Export restrictions for gasoline...

Two traders say that oil shipments from Russia’s western ports will increase by 4% this August, compared to July, as drones attack domestic refineries, allowing more crude to be exported. Meanwhile, a strong demand in Asia is encouraging sellers to ship more. According to preliminary data collected by traders, exports from the Baltic port of Primorsk along with the Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk are expected to reach around 2.7 million barrels a day in August. The Ukraine's attack on Russia's refining facilities has meant that less oil can now be processed, and it must be exported. The traders say...

Trade sources and shipping data showed that a 'Panama-flagged' tanker carrying Russian naphtha attempted to pass through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait during 'the last week of July. The ship then changed course to sail instead around Africa, according to LSEG. Data shows that the Suezmax vessel Sea 'Icon' loaded 100,000 tons of naphtha from Ust-Luga, Russia, on July 1 for shipment to Asia. The Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Company, based in Kuwait, controls the tanker. The company did not respond immediately to an email asking for comment. The 'tanker' made a U-turn as it approached the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which is a...