Delivering Quality Logistics Information Since 1947
January 1st, 2009 — Analysis, Issue 14 January 2009
Good luck trying to move goods in and out of Palestine
At JoTrans at the Dead Sea in Jordan last month, Palestinian Minister of Transport Dr. Mashhour Abudaka began his speech insisting that he would avoid discussing politics. But he couldn’t help it. How could he sidestep the fact, after all, that Israel took Qalandia Airport (renamed Atarot Airport) in 1967, that there is a “total siege in Gaza Strip” and that Palestinians are not allowed to transfer goods from one truck to another?
January 1st, 2009 — Analysis, Issue 14 January 2009
Jordan is moving ahead with its railway development plans … as soon as it can get the cash
“Time is very limited for us,” says Laith Dababneh, Director, Multi Transport Department for Jordan’s Ministry of Transport, on finding investors for Jordan’s rail projects. By mid-2012, Aqaba Development Corporation will have moved Aqaba Port’s phosphate terminal 18 kilometres from its current place, which means the railway which transfers phosphate from the El Abiad, Hassa and Shediah mines to the port (a distance between 140 and 290 kilometres) will also have to move.
December 1st, 2008 — Analysis, Issue 13 December 2008
With the global economic downturn slowly making its way to the Middle East
region, the air freight industry is making cautious decisions for the future
If anyone knows air cargo, it is Daniel Fernandez, Secretary General of the International Air Cargo Association. And, although he remains positive, he seems to know tough times are ahead.
November 1st, 2008 — Analysis, Issue 12 November 2008
It may be a long and roundabout route, but it gets the job done and clients are happy. That’s the operating policy of shipping companies operating in Saudi Arabia, where customs bureaucracy is a thicket best avoided when possible.
October 1st, 2008 — Analysis, Issue 11 October 2008
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.
October 1st, 2008 — Analysis, Issue 11 October 2008
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.
October 1st, 2008 — Analysis, Issue 11 October 2008
From before the time of the ancient Egyptians till date, gold has remained a measure of value. Ever wondered, then, what the supply chain of this most precious metal is like?
Did you know that the majority of the gold which is refined annually around the world is recycled material as opposed to newly mined material? In simple words, you probably possess something Nefertiti owned.
“Gold stays around forever,” says Corey Keller, General Manager, Al Ghurair Giga Gold Refinery. “It’s there on the periodic table along with silver, platinum and palladium. It’s not going anywhere as it’s always held value and people are careful to maintain it. It might get found at the bottom of a pyramid, but regardless of where it’s found, once it is, off it goes into the recycling chain,” he says. “If it was found once, it’s probably still in the market.”
October 1st, 2008 — Analysis, Issue 11 October 2008
Why is Singapore held as the benchmark for the logistics industry?
Walking around Singapore, one is unable to escape the observations
most visitors and investors have of the island nation. Singapore is clean. Orderly. Diverse. Startlingly efficient. Modern and highly organised. In the early days of this Asian metropolis, its leaders sought to model the country into the “Switzerland of the East”. Most things, including the governance of the country, run like clockwork. Vehicles that enter city limits at specific times automatically pay for road tolls through a small wireless unit onboard. Singapore’s air-conditioned, clinically clean food courts offer regional and inter- Practically national cuisine in gleaming malls. The population of 4.5 million people never demonstrates. When things are said to happen — they do. ‘Almost perfect’ for business at least.
September 1st, 2008 — Analysis, Issue 10 September 2008
Streamlining the crude supply chain is one way to help bring down fuel costs.
History will judge the impact of crude oil as unparalleled. Wars are fought over it. Petrodollars are derived from it. Countries lucky enough to possess it are maintained by its existence. In fact, since 1971, oil has sustained the buoyancy of the US dollar. With OPEC pricing oil in dollars, after all, countries are obligated to maintain dollar reserves to purchase petroleum, thus reinforcing the greenback’s strength and demand. In a sense, the gold standard has stepped aside for the oil standard.
July 1st, 2008 — Analysis, Issue 9 July/Aug 2008
The 21st century will witness the emergence of a superpower that most agree is awakening to its potential. Chinese partnerships with like-minded Middle Eastern countries are proving mutually beneficial
Six centuries ago, a mighty armada of Chinese ships crossed the China Sea and ventured west to Arabia and East Africa. The fleet consisted of giant nine masted junks and was escorted by dozens of supply ships, water tankers, transports for cavalry horses and patrol boats. The armada’s crew would total more than 27,000 sailors and soldiers. The largest of the junks was said to be over 400 feet long and 150 feet wide.
Loaded with silk, porcelain and lacquerware, these vessels visited ports around the Indian Ocean, where Arab and African merchants would exchange spices, ivory, medicines, rare woods and pearls so eagerly sought by the Chinese imperial court.
