By Verity Ratcliffe (Bloomberg) --The world’s oil tanker owners can breathe a sigh of relief: a vital Middle East shipping hub is going to start enforcing sweeping new rules on the sulfur content in vessel fuel gradually. The United Arab Emirates will start by taking a flexible approach toward those ships that breach the environmental regulations when they enter into force … [Read more...]
Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa Port Plans $1 Billion Expansion
ABU DHABI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The capacity of Abu Dhabi's Khalifa Port will increase by 50% by the end of 2020 as part of a 3.8 billion dirham ($1 billion) expansion of the emirate's main port announced on Wednesday. The oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates is investing billions of dollars in infrastructure to reduce the emirate's dependence on oil and gas and the … [Read more...]
Abu Dhabi To Host HQ For European Safety Of Navigation Mission
by Sylvia Westall (Reuters) - A French naval base in Abu Dhabi will serve as the headquarters for a European-led mission to protect Gulf waters that will be operational soon, France’s defense minister said on Sunday. France is the main proponent of a plan to build a European-led maritime force to ensure safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after tanker attacks earlier this … [Read more...]
Rivals Iran and UAE to Hold Maritime Security Talks
DUBAI, July 30 (Reuters) - Iran was to revive maritime security talks on Tuesday with traditional foe the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in an apparent bid to calm tensions in the Gulf, although a Gulf official described the discussions as routine and technical. The talks follow weeks of heightened political friction around the strategic waterway stemming from hostility between … [Read more...]
UAE Eases Qatar Shipping Ban Amid Continuing Dispute
By Alexander Cornwell, Lisa Barrington and Eric Knecht DUBAI/DOHA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has eased a ban on the shipping of goods between it and Qatar enforced under a political and economic boycott of Doha, according to port circulars and an industry source. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain severed diplomatic, trade and transport ties with … [Read more...]