MEED
Issue No 26 27 June - 3 July 2008
View all stories from this issue.
-
Alafco plans $4.2bn fleet expansion
Leasing and finance firm to take advantage of global airline crisis to accelerate growth to 100 planes. -
Alam Steel to open factory in Jebel Ali
Company forms joint venture with South African firm to capitalise on region’s growing demand. -
Alba
As Aluminium Bahrain considers a sixth production train, its main challenge is securing gas feedstock. -
Alba: MEED Assessment
Securing gas feedstock is essential to increasing gas production -
Aramco awards Manifa pipeline deal to Valentine Maritime
Saudi Aramco has awarded a contract worth up to $500m for pipeline and power cable equipment to the UAE’s Valentine Maritime as part of a series of major contracts on its 900,000-barrel-a-day (b/d) Manifa oil field development. -
Aramco faces losing skilled workers after salary review
Contractors say key staff are being tempted away by rivals offering better deals. -
Aramco staggers Khursaniyah work to meet August deadline
First 250,000-b/d train is due for completion, with second up to six weeks later. -
Bankers predict debt market slowdown
Lenders are increasingly reluctant to finance deals in local currencies and dollar market is yet to stabilise. -
Cairo seeks buyer for stake in Case derivatives exchange
Stock market privatisation is ruled out but futures market talks are under way. -
Doha bourse deal increases competition
Competition between regional stock markets is likely to increase in the wake of the latest partnership deal by US stock exchange operator NYSE Euronext, according to industry observers. -
Doha finalises $900m deal to buy planes
Qatar Airways has agreed a $900m deal to purchase six new Boeing aircraft in a series of deals with a mixture of local and international banks. -
Emirates NBD's Rick Pudner on global expansion plans
The head of the newly formed UAE banking giant plans to expand into North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. -
Emirates seek nuclear power consultant
Government set to award management contract to international firm by the end of the year. -
Emirates Steel delays $2bn refinancing
Emirates Steel Industries is delaying plans to raise up to $2bn in project finance debt until 2009, because of high financing costs. The firm will now use a smaller bridging loan in the short term. -
Etihad Etisalat to reveal fall in mobile phone customers
Etihad Etisalat, the Saudi subsidiary of UAE telecoms giant Etisalat, will report a fall in its customer numbers when it updates investors on its financial performance in July. -
Firms must work to maintain trust in construction sector
If trust breaks down, the current preference for negotiated deals will quickly dissolve. -
Gamal Sadat
One of the most powerful people at the UAE-based telecoms operator -
Gas shortage delays development at Yanbu and Jubail
While Riyadh’s plans for the industrial cities at Jubail and Yanbu appear viable in the long term, problems securing the necessary gas feedstock are slowing the pace of expansion. -
Government to consider proposals for Kuwait Bay islands
Plans for a major development in Kuwait featuring two man-made islands will be presented to Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammed al-Ahmed al-Sabah in the next two weeks. -
Grand Mosque plan threatens regeneration work in Mecca
Contractors fear billions of dollars worth of developments will be demolished. -
International relations: Controlling the oil price
Whether it is market speculators or producers that are to blame for the soaring cost of oil, Riyadh’s ability to exert influence has been weakened. -
Iran can seize gas initiative
Tehran has a lucrative window of opportunity to exploit its resources. Modernisation of approach will encourage oil majors and investment. -
Khaled al-kaf
One of the most powerful people at the UAE-based telecoms operator -
Logistics: Outsourcing the supply chain
As Riyadh concentrates on upgrading its transport infrastructure, international and local logistics firms are investing heavily in their warehousing and distribution networks. -
Manama launches $3.2bn reclaimed island project
After three years of design changes, Bahrain has finally launched a BD1.2bn ($3.2bn) reclaimed island project close to the former administrative and cultural centre of the kingdom in Muharraq. -
Mohammad al-Qamzi
One of the most powerful people at the UAE-based telecoms operator -
Now is time to expand aviation fleets
Once the belt tightening ends in the West, leasing companies will be in an even stronger position. -
Petrochemicals capacity grows despite slowdown
Cheap feedstock gives Middle East producers a competitive advantage as world economic growth slows. -
Power: The importance of partnering
With Riyadh investing billions in power and water projects, developers are flooding into the market. But joining up with companies that are experienced in the sector will be essential. -
Q&A: Ahmed Saleh Al-Noaimi, CEO, Alba
Steady growth set to continue as GCC power grid ensures future energy supply -
Refining the Saudi oil sector
Building refinery capacity will help Riyadh retain control over pricing as its major oil fields age and it becomes increasingly reliant on heavier crude grades. -
Region needs more banking mergers
The longer other banks wait to create a strong competitor, the greater the chance that Emirates NBD will be able to succeed. -
Regional Etisalat: Six key people
The six most powerful people at the UAE-based telecoms operator: Mohammad Hassan Omran, Mohammad al-Qamzi, Jamal al-Jarwan, Khaled al-Kaf, Gamal Sadat and Salem Ali al-Sharhan. -
Rising costs threaten Aramco's expansion plans
The world’s largest oil and gas company is confident it can mitigate the effects of spiralling costs and labour shortages that have delayed projects key to hitting its ambitious 2009 production targets. -
Riyadh cannot control oil price
The separation of the price of oil and the fundamentals of supply and demand is increasingly obvious. -
Riyadh seeks economic balance
With the government planning to spend billions of dollars on much-needed infrastructure projects, reducing spiralling inflation will be a difficult challenge. -
Salem Ali al-Sharhan
One of the most powerful people at the UAE-based telecoms operator -
Saudi contractors push for change
With the cost of raw materials rising ever higher, contractors are urging Riyadh to take inflation risk into account on new contracts, and there are signs that changes will be made. -
Saudisation: Relaxing the quota rules
Changes in the government’s Saudisation policy have been welcomed, but many contractors complain that they do not go far enough. -
Special Report: Saudi Arabia - Prices rise as spending soars
Despite inflation soaring to a 27-year high of 9.7 per cent in 2007, analysts are fairly sanguine about its effect on the Saudi economy. -
Sudan Airways holds talks to upgrade fleet
Sudan Airways has confirmed it is in talks to buy new aircraft after the recent accident at Khartoum airport, which resulted in at least 30 passengers being killed. -
Tehran’s global gas ambitions
Iran’s refusal to compromise on prices could undermine its plans to become a major energy provider. -
Transport: Connecting the kingdom
After years of delays, Saudi Arabia’s road, rail and aviation infrastructure is finally getting the investment it needs to cope with economic growth. -
Undisclosed talks hit negotiations for Pentominium tower
The project to build the 120-storey Pentominium tower in Dubai has been thrown into confusion after contractors, who thought they were in exclusive negotiations for the AED1bn ($272m) construction contract, discovered that the client, Hong Kong-based Trident Holding, had been holding talks with several firms. -
Wataniya Airways prepares to outsource four divisions
IT, engineering, catering and ground handling to be sold off in bid to cut costs.
