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• 
  Saudi Arabia awards estimated $1bn phosphate rail deal

  20 August 2026

  

   

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  Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR) has awarded an estimated SR4bn-plus ($1.1bn) contract to add another track to the first section of the existing phosphate transport railway network in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.

  The contract was awarded to local firm Alomaier Trading & Contracting Company.

  The scope includes track doubling, alignment modifications, utility bridges, culvert widening and hydrological structures, as well as the conversion of the AZ1 siding into a mainline track.

  The scope also covers support for signalling and telecommunications systems.

  The existing railway line runs from the Waad Al-Shamal mines to Ras Al-Khair. The new project will cover about 100 kilometres (km), connecting the AZ1/Nariyah Yard to Ras Al-Khair.

  Switzerland-based engineering firm ARX is the project consultant.

  The project is the first of four packages for the phosphate railway line that SAR is expected to award imminently.

  In 2023, MEED reported that SAR was planning two projects to increase its freight capacity, including an estimated SR4.2bn ($1.1bn) project to install a second track on the North Train freight line and construct three new freight yards.

  Formerly known as the North-South Railway, the North Train is a 1,550km-long freight line running from the phosphate and bauxite mines in the far north of the kingdom to the Al-Baithah junction. There, it diverges into a line southward to Riyadh and a second line running east to downstream fertiliser production and alumina refining facilities at Ras Al-Khair on the Gulf coast.

  Adding a second track and the freight yards will significantly increase cargo-carrying capacity on the network and facilitate growth in industrial production. Project implementation is expected to take four years.

  State-owned SAR is also considering increasing the localisation of railway-focused materials and equipment, including the construction of a cement sleeper manufacturing facility.

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  READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Saudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Expo 2030 Riyadh construction gathers pace > WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034 > MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge > INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil > LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection > PORTS: Geopolitical risk shapes $513bn of global ports projects > INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solar

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Libya and Tunisia reschedule joint oil and gas licensing round

  19 August 2026

  The Libyan-Tunisian Joint Oil Exploration, Exploitation & Petroleum Services Company (Joint Oil) has rescheduled its planned licensing round for offshore exploration and development projects in a zone spanning the waters of both countries.

  The bidding process is now due to open on 7 September 2026, with bid submissions due by 8 January 2027.

  Previously, in May, Joint Oil said it planned to open the bid round on 1 August 2026.

  The upcoming round will offer two oil and gas packages. The first is an exploration package across the 3,000-square-kilometre Joint Oil Block, in water depths of 80-120 metres.

  Significant data is available on the geology of this area, including 6,500km of 2D and 1,900 square kilometres of 3D seismic data. Data also exists from a run of legacy wells dating to 1976.

  The second package covers development of the Zarat discovery specifically. This is a gas-condensate reservoir straddling the boundary between Tunisia’s national acreage and the jointly-held Joint Oil Block.

  Joint Oil is equally owned by Tunisia’s national oil company, ETAP, and OLA Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio (LAIP).

  LAIP is a subsidiary of Libya’s sovereign wealth institution, the Libya Investment Authority.

  Joint Oil was established under a bilateral agreement between Libya and Tunisia in 1988 to explore and develop hydrocarbons in offshore areas shared by the two countries.

  The key dates from the new schedule for the licensing round are:

  • 7 September 2026: Bid round opens; qualified offshore operators can apply for access to the Virtual Data Room
  • 9 September 2026: Joint Oil presents the opportunity at the MMEA Scout Group meeting in London
  • 29-30 September 2026: Joint Oil presents at the World Energy Summit in London
  • 31 December 2026: Bid round closes
  • 8 January 2027: Bid submissions due
  • 26 February 2027: Winning bidders notified
  • 30 April 2027: Formal awards expected

  Texas-based Moyes & Co is acting as a strategic adviser on the licensing round.

  Houston-headquartered Marathon discovered the Zarat field in 1992. It is estimated to hold around 0.4 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas and 50 million barrels of liquids.

  A previous development project concept centred on a mobile production unit, worth around $1bn, tied back to the nearby Miskar platform.

  Despite this, the field has remained undeveloped for over three decades.

  One of the key challenges to developing the reserve is its high carbon dioxide content.

  Joint Oil has run bid rounds for the acreage before without success, including as recently as late 2023.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  UAE cuts trade and financial links with Iran

  19 August 2026

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  The UAE has halted all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran until further notice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on 19 August.

  The suspension has been imposed in light of escalations that undermine regional and international peace and security, the ministry said. It did not specify a timeframe for any resumption.

  The ministry rejected allegations regarding the status of the economic relationship between the UAE and Iran, and restated the UAE's commitment to dialogue, cooperation and regional integration as means of advancing peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

  It said the UAE remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of the financial system, in line with international law and global standards.

  The suspension covers the full range of commercial and financial links between the two countries. The UAE has historically been one of Iran's most significant trading partners, with much of the relationship built on re-export trade routed through Dubai to Iranian ports across the Gulf.

  The ministry statement did not detail the mechanism for enforcing the halt, the sectors affected, or arrangements for existing contracts and in-transit cargo.

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  Colin Foreman
• 
  Abu Dhabi begins Dar Al-Funoon Saadiyat construction

  19 August 2026

  

   

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  Abu Dhabi-based piling contractor APCC Piling & Marine Contracting has started the enabling works on Dar Al-Funoon, a cultural development near the Saadiyat Cultural District.

  The project, commissioned by the Department of Culture & Tourism – Abu Dhabi, was designed by the late Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry.

  The venue is scheduled to open in 2030.

  MEED understands that the main contract bids are under evaluation and the project is slated for award soon.

  The complex will feature a multipurpose hall with more than 2,000 seats, a 3,500-seat open-air amphitheatre, a 400-seat studio theatre and a 250-seat jazz venue, bringing total capacity to more than 6,000 across its performance spaces.

  The venue will host leading international productions, delivering high-quality cultural experiences for audiences locally, regionally and globally.

  Upon completion, it will become one of the region’s largest performing arts venues.

  The project was announced by Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council in June, as MEED reported.

  During a review of the plans, he was briefed on the architectural concept and the development and construction phases, as well as the venue’s advanced technical capabilities, which are being designed to meet the highest international standards for staging major global productions.

  The announcement is part of the ongoing development of Saadiyat Island, which already includes Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Contractor wins Dubai Canal drainage deal

  19 August 2026

  

   

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  Local firm Detech Contracting has won an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to upgrade and rehabilitate the East Dubai Canal stormwater system.

  The project, known as TF-16-C1, is part of Dubai’s Tasreef strategic plan to improve the emirate’s stormwater network, increase flood protection and enhance the resilience of Dubai’s infrastructure.
   
  According to a source, Lebanon's Khatib & Alami has also been appointed as a consultant on the project.

  The works will focus on upgrading existing stormwater infrastructure to increase capacity and improve reliability during heavy rainfall.

  The scope includes upgrading the stormwater drainage system, laying pipelines and constructing manholes and gullies. It also includes the construction of pumping stations and diversion works, site clearance and other associated facilities.

  In February, MEED reported that the municipality had invited consultants to qualify for a contract to supervise three stormwater drainage projects (TF-16-C1, TF-15-C2 and TF-13-C1)

  China State Construction Engineering Corporation announced in July that it had won the EPC contract for the TF-15-C2 stormwater drainage network project located on Umm Suqeim Road in the Al-Barsha and Al-Quoz areas of Dubai.

  MEED understands contractor bids are still being evaluated for the TF-13-C1 project, which focuses on developing a drainage system for the Al-Marmum area.

  Detech has been awarded several packages under the Tasreef programme in the past 18 months.

  These include:

  • TF-16-C1: upgrading and rehabilitation of East Dubai Canal stormwater system
  • TF-15-C1: stormwater drainage system at Al-Wasl Road for communities west of Dubai Canal
  • TF-05-C1: stormwater drainage system in Jebel Ali 
  • TF-04: stormwater drainage system on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and Al-Yalayis Road
  • DS-419: Tasreef rainwater drainage network: West Deira stormwater system upgrade and rehabilitation 

  As MEED exclusively reported, the municipality recently issued a letter of award for the TF-15-C1 project, covering the construction of a stormwater drainage system on Al-Wasl Road and communities west of Dubai Canal.

  The project includes the construction of a gravity-based stormwater pipeline network with diameters of up to 3.5 metres. It is estimated to cost $100m.

  This week, Dubai Municipality also issued three tenders for stormwater and sewerage infrastructure projects serving Hind City, Dubailand and surrounding areas.

  The projects cover drainage networks for Hind 4, connections to the stormwater network in Dubailand and a stormwater trunk line serving Hind 3, Hind 4 and Umm Al-Daman.

  All three have bid submission deadlines of 10 September.

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  Mark Dowdall