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  Aramco executive becomes Samref chairman

  17 July 2026

  Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company (Samref) has announced the appointment of Abdullah Bin Saleh Al-Suwailem as the chairman of its board of directors.

  Al-Suwailem serves as senior vice president of Western Region manufacturing at Saudi Aramco.

  Prior to being appointed chairman, Al-Suwailem had been a member of the Samref board since .

  Samref is the downstream joint venture of Aramco and US oil and gas producer ExxonMobil. The entity owns a crude refining facility located in Yanbu on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, which entered operations in November 1984.

  The Samref refinery has a capacity of 400,000 barrels a day (b/d) and mainly produces propane and several grades of automotive diesel oil, two grades of marine heavy fuel oil and sulphur.

  In a , Samref said that Al-Suwailem “brings more than 30 years of leadership across the refining and petrochemicals sectors, having led some of the kingdom's most significant industrial joint ventures”.

  “We expect his deep expertise in governance and large-scale operations to be invaluable as Samref continues its journey of growth and operational excellence. We look forward to his leadership in steering the board's strategic direction,” Samref added.

  Aramco and ExxonMobil signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May 2025 to evaluate a significant upgrade of the Samref complex and expand the oil refining facility into a world-class integrated petrochemicals complex.

  The MoU between Aramco and ExxonMobil to upgrade the Yanbu refinery and convert the facility into an integrated refining and petrochemicals complex was signed at the Saudi-US Investment Forum held in Riyadh on 13-14 May 2025, during US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Saudi Arabia.

  MEED understands that the Samref petrochemicals expansion project is one of the schemes that comprise Aramco’s $100bn liquids-to-chemicals programme.

  Aramco has divided its liquids-to-chemicals programme into four main projects and has taken steps forward this year by signing joint-venture investment agreements with foreign partners for these schemes:

  • Conversion of the Saudi Aramco Jubail Refinery Company (Sasref) complex in Jubail into an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex through the addition of a mixed-feed cracker. The project also involves building an ethane cracker that will draw feedstock from the Sasref refinery. Front-end engineering and design (feed) on the project is under way and is being performed by Samsung E&A, although progress has been slow.
  • Conversion of the Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company (Yasref) complex in Yanbu into an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex through the addition of a mixed-feed cracker. China’s Sinopec is a joint-venture partner in the project.
  • Conversion of the Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company (Samref) complex in Yanbu into an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex through the addition of a mixed-feed cracker. US oil and gas producer ExxonMobil, Aramco and Samref signed a venture framework agreement in December to begin preliminary feed work on the project.
  • Building a crude oil-to-chemicals complex in Ras Al-Khair in the Eastern Province. Progress on this project remains slow.

  The central aim of the strategic programme is to derive greater economic value from every barrel of crude produced in Saudi Arabia by converting 4 million b/d of Aramco’s oil production into high-value petrochemicals and chemicals feedstocks by 2030.

  Aramco and its subsidiary Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) were tasked with establishing 10-11 large mixed-feed crackers by 2030. These petrochemicals crackers, which included greenfield developments and expansions of existing facilities, were to be built both in Saudi Arabia and in overseas markets.

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

  Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

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

  > AGENDA: Gulf aviation ambitions face uncertain future > AIRPORTS: Dubai and Riyadh reaffirm airport ambitions > MARKET FOCUS: Levant recovers in three speeds  > INDUSTRY REPORT: Dubai eyes tourism sector recovery > INTERVIEW: EtihadWE prepares roadmap for future projects  > PROJECTS MARKET: Mena project momentum holds despite conflict  > DATA CENTRES: Big Tech falls short on data centre promise > SAVINGS: Retirement creates multibillion-dollar opportunity for region   > LEADERSHIP: Aramco’s citizen developers accelerate digital change

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

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  Indrajit Sen
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  Accor expects Dubai hotel recovery by mid-2027

  17 July 2026

  

   

  Paris-headquartered hotel operator Accor expects Dubai’s hotel market to return to pre-conflict occupancy levels by the end of the first quarter or early second quarter of 2027, with room rates lagging the volume recovery by several months.

  Duncan O’Rourke, chief executive for the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific at the hotel operator (pictured right), said the group had maintained profitability across its Dubai portfolio during the conflict period through cost control and revenue management, but acknowledged that rates and occupancy had fallen materially from January and February levels.

  “There is no question that this crisis affected Dubai,” O’Rourke said at a media briefing in Dubai on 26 June. “As for occupancy in Dubai, we managed – through profit protection and cost control – to keep the hotels in a positive position, so we weren’t losing money.”

  He said the arrival of the summer low season provided a degree of relief. “If there is a time to slowly slide out of this crisis, it is the right time, which is now. What I see going forward is that volumes will come back. You will not have the rates immediately that you had in January and February. By the end of Q1 or Q2 next year, I think you will get close to where we were.”

  Luxury first

  O’Rourke said the luxury and upper-upscale segment was likely to lead the recovery, consistent with the pattern observed after previous crises.

  “Generally, when you have a crisis, the first segment to click back quicker is the high-end luxury. People then think: it is not about whether I should go – it is, let’s go. We saw that in Covid. Fairmont is well positioned to do that, and the Sofitel and Maison brands are in the stage of recovery going forward.”

  Jean-Jacques Morin, group deputy chief executive at Accor (pictured right), said the UAE’s underperformance had been contained within Accor’s broader international portfolio that continued to grow.

  “The Middle East is about 10% of the network,” he said. “That also explains why my tone on the capability of the results is so positive – not only do you have the hedging across geographies, but it is also, in the end, only one part of the business.”

  Rate outlook

  Morin dismissed concerns that the conflict had structurally weakened Dubai’s pricing power, drawing a parallel with the period following Covid-19.

  “When we came out of Covid, everybody said those prices would never hold. The question at every analyst call was always the same: your pricing strategy is unsustainable. Guess what? Nothing changed. The prices now, three or four years later, are still the same.”

  He argued that consumers consistently prioritise travel expenditure when reallocating budgets. “What you see when the economy goes sideways is that people reallocate disposable income differently. People are basically redirecting the way they do things and keeping the same amount they want to spend, but spending it differently.”

  Morin also said Dubai has a track record of outpacing expectations after previous disruptions. “The first part of the world, post-Covid, that came back to positive RevPAR was the Middle East – it was Dubai. People forget that. The capacity of this part of the world to rebound, and the capacity of the industry to rebound in general, is always misunderstood.”

  No pullback

  Accor said it had not paused or cancelled any development commitments in the region as a result of the conflict. “We did not change anything from a strategic perspective,” Morin said. “The last thing you want is to pull back, because this is going to rebound.”

  The group has also used the period to accelerate planned refurbishments and redeploy staff across the region rather than reduce headcount.

  “We have 380 hotels here – we are the largest player in the Middle East. Where we accelerated refurbishments, we were able to take key employees and move them to larger hotels elsewhere in the region. What people learned during Covid was the cost of layoffs afterwards – bringing people back and retraining them. There was a massive learning curve. This time, discussions with partners about layoffs were less challenging; it was more about accommodating staffing needs during that period,” O’Rourke said.

  ---

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

  Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

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

  > AGENDA: Gulf aviation ambitions face uncertain future > AIRPORTS: Dubai and Riyadh reaffirm airport ambitions > MARKET FOCUS: Levant recovers in three speeds  > INDUSTRY REPORT: Dubai eyes tourism sector recovery > INTERVIEW: EtihadWE prepares roadmap for future projects  > PROJECTS MARKET: Mena project momentum holds despite conflict  > DATA CENTRES: Big Tech falls short on data centre promise > SAVINGS: Retirement creates multibillion-dollar opportunity for region   > LEADERSHIP: Aramco’s citizen developers accelerate digital change

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

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  Colin Foreman
• 
  CCC selected for $600m Damascus Financial Centre

  17 July 2026

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  Syrian developer Souria Holding has selected Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) as the exclusive design-and-build contractor for the $600m Damascus Financial Centre (DFC) in Syria.

  The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding on 6 July. The agreement covers design management, engineering, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning, handover and defects liability services. Souria Holding chairman Haytham Joud and CCC chairman Samer Khoury signed the agreement.

  Souria Holding is developing the project in partnership with the Governorate of Damascus. The developer says the scheme is intended to support the city's long-term economic revitalisation and urban development.

  The mixed-use development sits on Plot 47 in the Western Hejaz regulatory area of Damascus' Baramkeh district. The site covers about 32,000 square metres (sq m) and the development will have about 380,000 sq m of built-up area, making it one of the largest mixed-use schemes planned in Syria.

  The DFC comprises a five-star hotel, including furnished apartments and serviced apartments; two residential towers; three grade-A office towers on a core-and-shell basis; retail and commercial space at ground and underground levels; and four basement levels for parking and supporting infrastructure.

  The first phase of construction involves the delivery of three office buildings with a total above-ground built-up area of 72,000 sq m. The completion deadline is the fourth quarter of 2028.

  Lebanon’s Dar Al-Handasah is the frontrunner for the design consultancy role, working for CCC as the design-and-build contractor.

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  Colin Foreman
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  GCC downstream operators urged to seek used European equipment

  17 July 2026

  

   

  The operators of downstream oil and gas facilities in the GCC that are rebuilding after attacks during the regional war are being advised by the insurance industry to procure used equipment from Europe, where a large number of petrochemical facilities have closed down over recent years.

  A wide range of refineries and petrochemical plants in the region are currently undertaking repairs and replacing damaged equipment after attacks by Iran.

  The attacks started after the US and Israel launched attacks on sites in Iran on 28 February.

  Nick Holland, the head of engineering for India, the Middle East and Africa at the US-based insurance broker Marsh, says that many downstream facilities carrying out repairs in the GCC could cut costs and reduce the time it takes to rebuild by making deals with companies in Europe.

  “Many plants have shut down in Europe over the past five years,” he says. “These refinery and chemical-plant closures may create an opportunity for Gulf operators to acquire high-quality used equipment.

  “We have some incredible demand in the Middle East to recover as quickly as possible, and I would certainly be encouraging operators to take the opportunity to procure second-hand equipment from facilities that have closed down in Europe.”

  Earlier this month, Jim Ratcliffe, the chairman of the London-headquartered chemicals company Ineos, wrote an open letter to Ursula Von Der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, saying that the chemical industry in Europe is “highly stressed” and in the midst of a “closure phase”.

  He said that nearly 200 European chemical plants had closed down during the past five years.

  Holland says that companies in the GCC looking to minimise business disruption and rebuild as quickly as possible should reach out to companies in Europe to obtain equipment that would normally take a long time to procure from equipment manufacturers.

  “A new large high-pressure reactor could have a lead time of approximately 110 weeks, so adapting an existing reactor could significantly accelerate recovery,” he says.

  “Other possible items include pumps, compressors, rotating equipment and boilers.

  “Reusing equipment is unusual but not unprecedented. Used equipment would require inspection, remaining-life assessment, re-engineering and confirmation that it is fit for the new operating conditions.”

  Over recent months, there have been reports of downstream oil facilities being hit by Iranian attacks in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Medina tenders Quba Mosque expansion

  17 July 2026

  

   

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  Madinah Region Development Authority (MRDA) has tendered a contract to expand Quba Mosque in the Medina region of Saudi Arabia.

  The tender was issued earlier this month, with a bid submission deadline of 31 August.

  MRDA has appointed local consulting firm Jasara as the project management consultant.

  Jasara, in turn, has appointed London-based firm HKA to provide specialist procurement and delivery-model advice and to support the selection of a suitable contracting partner for the project.

  Dar Al-Omran has prepared the design for the expansion.

  Quba Mosque is located about five kilometres south of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

  Project background

  Quba Mosque is considered the first mosque established in Islam, in 622 AD. The proposed expansion will increase the mosque’s area from 5,035 square metres (sq m) to 53,000 sq m and raise capacity to 66,000 worshippers, from 12,000.

  The expansion will also include the restoration of 57 historical sites and the creation of three pathways to enhance Medina’s spiritual and cultural landscape.

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  Yasir Iqbal