Emirates to offer passengers insurance amid travel warnings
12 June 2026
Dubai-based airline Emirates is to offer its own insurance product to passengers flying to or through Dubai, as it seeks to reassure travellers deterred by government advisories against travel to the region.
The airline’s president, Tim Clark, confirmed the move in an interview with the London-based Financial Times. He said Emirates was working with insurance companies to introduce a “reasonably priced” product that would guarantee passengers could get home regardless of whether they returned on Emirates or another carrier.
The move is designed to address concerns that travellers could become stranded if the conflict were to restart. More than three months after fighting began, several countries continue to maintain no-fly recommendations covering Gulf routes, leaving passengers unable to obtain conventional insurance for trips to or through the region.
“I think one of the big concerns is that if they get caught overseas and they can’t get back,” Clark said. The group was working with insurance companies “to do the right thing”, he added.
Emirates has played a leading role in supporting Dubai’s tourism sector since Iran began targeting the UAE with missiles and drones on 28 February.
In early June, the Department of Economy and Tourism told stakeholders attending its bi-annual City Briefing that the emirate worked closely with airports and aviation partners, including Emirates and FlyDubai, to ensure continued connectivity for travellers.
READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF
GCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
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> AGENDA: Gulf races to reroute trade
> EXPORT ROUTES: Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity
> CURRENT AFFAIRS: UAE’s Opec departure fulfils multiple ends
> MEED TOP 100: Middle East stocks recover unevenly
> LEADERSHIP: Building the infrastructure that makes net zero possible
> TRADE DEAL: UK-GCC trade deal talks conclude
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Conflict to push global growth to post-pandemic low12 June 2026
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Emaar announces $55bn Dubai project12 June 2026
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Oman tenders environmental survey consultancy contract12 June 2026
Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (Nama PWP) has issued a tender seeking consultancy firms to provide environmental and seawater quality surveys under an ad hoc services contract.
The selected consultants will be appointed for a four-year period and engaged on an as-needed basis to undertake environmental survey work.
According to the tender notice, the scope of work includes environmental surveys, vertical profiling of seawater quality, seawater sampling and testing, environmental and social baseline studies, and bird and bat surveys.
Bids are due by 1 July.
Environmental and seawater studies are typically undertaken during the early development stages of power generation, desalination and other water infrastructure projects.
Oman’s project pipeline includes a series of large-scale independent power projects (IPPs) scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2031, according to the seven-year plan released by Nama PWP in March.
Earlier in June, Nama PWP issued a supervisory consultancy tender for the 280MW Marsa solar IPP project in North Al-Batinah Governorate.
The project is scheduled to enter commercial operation in the first quarter of 2028.
The company is seeking project management and supervisory consultancy services during the construction, commissioning and testing phases of the project.
The bid submission deadline is 26 July.
> Be recognised among the best in the industry at the MEED Projects Awards 2026 …
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Conflict to push global growth to post-pandemic low12 June 2026
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is expected to drag global economic growth to its lowest level since the Covid-19 pandemic, with Gulf states bearing the heaviest burden of any region, the World Bank Group has warned in its latest Global Economic Prospects report.
Global growth is forecast to slow to 2.5% in 2026, down from 2.9% in 2025, with forecasts downgraded for two-thirds of economies. Economies in the Gulf directly affected by the conflict are expected to see growth collapse from 3.9% in 2025 to nearly zero this year, marking the steepest regional decline.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted energy markets, with Brent crude prices projected to average $94 a barrel in 2026, 36% above 2025 levels, assuming the worst disruptions ease by July. Fertiliser price increases are compounding the pressure, feeding through to food prices and pushing global inflation to an expected 4.0% this year, up from 3.3% in 2025.
The World Bank says downside risks remain substantial. Should energy supply disruptions prove more severe than currently assumed and be accompanied by significant financial stress, global growth could fall as low as 1.3% in 2026, with inflation climbing to 4.4%.
The World Bank is making up to $50bn-$60bn immediately available through existing instruments, including $25bn in pre-arranged financing, to support affected countries through social safety nets, fiscal capacity and working capital for businesses. More than 30 countries are actively working with the bank to enhance readiness under the response plan. If the conflict and its economic fallout persist, support could be scaled to $80bn-$100bn over 15 months.
Despite the severity of the near-term shock, the bank projects a significant Gulf rebound, with growth recovering to around 5% in 2027-28 as trade normalises and reconstruction spending begins.
READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf races to reroute trade> EXPORT ROUTES: Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity> CURRENT AFFAIRS: UAE’s Opec departure fulfils multiple ends> MEED TOP 100: Middle East stocks recover unevenly> LEADERSHIP: Building the infrastructure that makes net zero possible> TRADE DEAL: UK-GCC trade deal talks concludeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17204153/main.jpg -
Emaar announces $55bn Dubai project12 June 2026
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Mohammed Alabbar, the founder of Emaar Properties, has released a statement saying that the Dubai-based real estate developer is about to announce a $55bn project in Dubai.
On his social media channels including Instagram and X, he said: “Emaar is preparing to unveil its most ambitious project yet: a development worth AED200bn (around $55bn), commanding an extraordinary vista that brings together, in a single frame, three of the city’s timeless icons – Burj Khalifa, Burj Al-Arab and Palm Jumeirah – complete with the finest essentials of modern living, in the city of Dubai.”
Emaar has delivered some of the world’s most ambitious real estate projects, including the world’s tallest tower, the 828-metre-tall Burj Khalifa, and the surrounding Downtown Dubai development.
Commenting on the new project, Alabbar added: “This is no ordinary new development. It is a landmark that takes its place in the legacy of the United Arab Emirates, writing a new chapter in the story of a nation that knows no limits to its ambition.”
In a statement on the Dubai Financial Market on 11 June, Emaar Properties said it “stands on the threshold of a historic announcement” and revealed more details about the project. It said it will have a total development value of AED200bn, with a gross floor area exceeding 4.5 million square metres.
It added that it will include a mix of landmark residential towers, signature villas and mansions, Grade-A commercial offices, world-class retail destinations, luxury hospitality, and civic and cultural amenities. Altogether, the development will accommodate a projected population of nearly 150,000 residents. The statement also said the development will be connected to proposed metro lines.
The exact location of the development was not revealed. Emaar has announced major projects in the past without giving precise locations. In June 2023, it announced the $20bn Oasis project. At the time, the details on the site’s location indicated it was situated in a prime location in Dubai, surrounded by high-end developments and within proximity to four international golf courses. It was later confirmed that the site sits between Damac Properties’ Lagoons development and Dubai Investment Park.
> Be recognised among the best in the industry at the MEED Projects Awards 2026 …
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Aramco awards contract for Uthmaniyah gas compression project12 June 2026

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Saudi Aramco has awarded a key contract as part of its larger project to boost gas compression capacity at the Shedgum and Uthmaniya processing plants in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
The Shedgum and Uthmaniya plants currently receive approximately 870 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) and 1.2 billion cf/d of Khuff raw gas, respectively. Through this multibillion-dollar project, Aramco aims to increase the compression and processing capacity of the two plants, as well as construct new pipelines to enhance gas transport.
Saudi Arabia-based Saipem Nasser Saeed Al‑Hajri Contracting Company (SNSH), a joint venture of Italian contractor Saipem and local contractor Nasser Saeed Al‑Hajri and Partners Company for Contracting, has won the contract for EPC works on the Uthmaniyah gas compression plant package.
The value of the contract won by SNSH is estimated to be $1.24bn, sources told MEED. Milan-headquartered Saipem declared the share of its contract value to be €900m ($1.04bn), adding that the duration of EPC works is 42 months.
The scope of work on the package involves the EPC of a new compression plant serving the non‑associated gas field of Uthmaniyah, Saipem said in its statement, adding that “the new compression plant will extend the production life of the field, helping to support the growing energy demand of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
The contract for the Uthmaniyah gas compression plant package is the first EPC project awarded under Aramco’s National EPC Champion programme, Euronext Milan-listed Saipem said.
Shedgum and Uthmaniyah gas compression project
The contract awarded by Aramco for the Uthmaniyah gas compression plant is one of nine EPC packages comprising the overall Shedgum and Uthmaniyah gas compression project. The list of packages is as follows:
- Shedgum gas compression facility and SGP in-plant works
- Uthmaniyah gas compression facility and UGP in-plant works
- Shedgum gas compression pipelines package
- Uthmaniyah gas compression pipelines package
- Shedgum and Uthmaniyah central temporary construction facilities
- Shedgum and Uthmaniyah early works site preparation
- Operation and maintenance of Saudi Aramco Project Management Team temporary construction facilities and accommodation
- Shedgum and Uthmaniyah gas compression plant PIA
- Shedgum and Uthmaniyah gas compression plant PSA.
Aramco has awarded the contract for the Shedgum and Uthmaniyah early works site preparation (package 6) to local firm Al-Shalawi International Company Trading and Contracting, sources told MEED.
Additionally, Aramco is understood to be in discussions with Indian contractor Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (L&T), among other bidders, for the Shedgum gas compression facility and SGP in-plant works package (package 1), as per sources.
Separately, the Saudi energy giant was said to be in negotiations with a consortium of China’s Sinopec and Dammam-based Al-Qahtani Pipe Coating Industries for the pipeline package related to the Uthmaniyah gas compression plant (package 4), the sources further said.
However, Sinopec and Al-Qahtani fell short of providing bond guarantees and failed to meet other requirements set by Aramco, resulting in a split of their consortium, sources told MEED, adding Aramco could now start discussions with other bidders for the package.
Meanwhile, Khobar-based Arkad Engineering & Construction has emerged as the lowest bidder for the Shedgum gas compression pipelines package, with Aramco expected to award the contract within June, according to sources.
Contractors submitted bids for packages of the Shedgum and Uthmaniya gas compression capacity expansion project in January, MEED previously reported.
The Saudi energy giant is understood to have started the solicitation of interest process for the main EPC contract tendering exercise in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Aramco subsequently issued the tenders for the EPC packages of the scheme during the second quarter of last year and set an initial bid submission deadline of 17 August.
Aramco then extended the bid submission deadline to 17 November, 7 December, and then to January, according to sources.
In line with its aim of increasing gas production and processing capacity by 80% by 2030, with 2021 as its baseline, Aramco is investing significant capital in gas projects in the kingdom.
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Kuwait tenders booster station upgrade contract12 June 2026
State-owned upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has issued the invitation to bid for a project contract to upgrade gas booster stations 140 and 150 (BS-140 and BS-150).
The project, first announced in 2014, is estimated to be worth $240m.
The scope of work on the project covers:
- Upgrade of BS-140 and BS-150
- Replacement of dehydration facilities
- Laying of pipelines
- Installation of safety system
- Construction of associated facilities
It was announced in 2017 that the following companies had been prequalified to bid for the project:
- Daelim Industrial (South Korea)
- Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
- Fluor (US)
- Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)
- JGC Corporation (Japan)
- Kellogg Brown & Root (US)
- Larsen & Toubro Hydrocarbon Engineering (India)
- National Petroleum Construction Company (UAE)
- Petrofac (UK)
- Saipem (Italy)
- Samsung Engineering (South Korea)
- S K E&C (South Korea)
- Kentech (UAE; formerly SNC-Lavalin)
- Technip Energies (France)
- Técnicas Reunidas (Spain)
It is likely that the list of prequalified companies has changed significantly since the previous list was published.
Kuwait’s oil and gas sector is currently in the midst of a major crisis as disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has dramatically reduced the volume of exported crude oil.
The disruption to shipping is also creating significant challenges to construction projects in the oil and gas sector, which normally import equipment and materials through the Strait of Hormuz.
READ THE JUNE 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFGCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf races to reroute trade> EXPORT ROUTES: Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity> CURRENT AFFAIRS: UAE’s Opec departure fulfils multiple ends> MEED TOP 100: Middle East stocks recover unevenly> LEADERSHIP: Building the infrastructure that makes net zero possible> TRADE DEAL: UK-GCC trade deal talks concludeTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17199132/main.png
