Somali pirates are hungry for more

They’ve struck again. And again. And again. In fact, in a period of two weeks last month the brazen pirates off the coast of Somalia tallied nine hijacked ships alone. They can now claim their largest take, in capturing the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star some 450 miles off the coast of Mombasa. The vessel owned by Saudi oil giant Aramco was heading for the US via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, instead of heading through the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal.

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Casey McFann goes to school

Alright ladies and gentlemen, class is now in session. Today, the University of Dubai is offering the internationally recognised Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) qualifications to those seeking to enhance their industry credentials. Though attendance will remain optional, anyone and everyone within the procurement and purchasing-supply industries are highly recommended to not only attend, but to use this class as a catalyst to create more value for themselves and their respective companies.

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The region is out-doing itself to be the best in every way possible. Airports play a large role in attaining that position. So what exactly is going on?

The region’s airports are something to watch

These days, the GCC is getting downright dusty. Ever notice how the sky just refuses to be blue, preferring rather an opaque haziness? Some attribute all this dust in the air to “construction induced pollution”. This, they say, is the price of progress. Dubai is no exception, as the colossal undertaking of building the Al Maktoum International Airport is certainly swirling up dust and sand particles. Rather than look to bluer skies, we decided to check out all the new airport construction in the region, to see what’s happening.

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Connecting the lengths and breadths of nations – a rail network is essential for
growth. If that is an understatement, so is the fact that the UAE needed a rail
network yesterday! Updates seem positive.

The region’s rail plans are best described as immense

These days, the GCC’s rail sector is receiving global attention. And for good reason. The plans are ambitiously immense, as well as being a lucrative incentive for private investment. It is no wonder then, that updates on the ongoing projects are being received with open ears.

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Casey McFann spent a day at the Emirates Driving Institute getting first hand
training to drive a heavy duty truck. He came away impressed at the high
standards being adhered to by driving institutes under directives of the RTA in
order to reduce the number of incidents on the road

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In the world of money laundering, anonymity and a trusted supply chain remain essential

With a reputation as a global hub for the gold, diamond and property trade, Dubai has historically held a reputation as a haven for illicit money laundering. Each year, with billions of dollars flowing in and out, it remains difficult to trace how and where such funds are ascertained. In trying to clean up its image, the Dubai government has recently introduced stricter measures to clamp down on the shadowy cash trade, but the task has proved formidable.

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A perpetual topic of discussion, money seems to be weighing more and more on peoples’ minds lately. Is the pegging of many Middle Eastern currencies to the dollar going to signal doom?

These days, in such fiscally turbulent times, the topic on everyone’s mind seems to be money. With the recent US$700 billion government bailout in the United States, many in the GCC have turned their attention towards the region’s monetary policies.

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Money seems to be literally floating on the seas, and at the end of the day it’s all about how much profit you make. In today’s information age, communication between owners and brokers continues around the clock, and remains the catalyst for optimising profit. As cargo bookings, weather conditions and ETA’s are variable and everchanging, the shipping industry has become far more data driven and analyst dependant. Indeed, ship brokering has evolved massively from what it used to be

Matthew Patton (Left), Chairman of Triton Lines, Alexander Hamalton (Right), a broker for Barry Rogliano Salles (BR S) Middle East

Sit down with any shipbroker and he’ll be quick to tell you, the market is changing. No longer are brokers perceived merely as middlemen facilitating ship acquisition for their clients. Rather, with daily variables such as rising fuel costs, hourly market fluctuations, futures contracts and other speculation- driven interests, their roles have become industry specific and far more real time data-driven.

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Iran wants a more active role in international markets. But will its goals of relaxing established trade regulations come to fruition?

Pick up any major newspaper and chances are Iran is headlined, in not so pleasant terms, on the front page. With so much negative press about the Islamic republic’s ‘ambitions’ it is often difficult to decipher
any substantive, unbiased information on the country. Yet as one of the world’s oldest civilisations, most experts agree that Iran remains largely untapped potential. So what gives? Well, self imposed regulatory hurdles and crippling western sanctions aren’t doing its economy any favours, while the looming threat of war assuredly wards off any potential investors.

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In terms of gross tonnage, efficiency and marketplace importance, it’s hard to top today’s container cranes

Moving millions of tonnes of goods daily, container cranes remain an integral part of global commerce. These massive structures efficiently and effectively load and unload roughly 90 per cent of the world’s shipped goods, in an almost robotic fashion. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, these colossal cranes offer little in subtlety or wastefulness, moving on average 25 to 30 TEU containers an hour, with very little downtime.

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