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5 October 2026, London (The Energy Circle by IN-VR) - AbdulRahman Taleb Ali of Shipping Arabia, Official Media Partner of the Misurata Energy & Business Summit, discusses the platform's role in bringing Middle Eastern and North African maritime news to a global audience, and the forces reshaping shipping in the region, from geopolitical disruption to port investment and digitalisation. The interview also explores Misurata's growth as a resilient commercial port and Free Zone, what shipping lines and investors need to know before entering the Libyan market, and why, for Libya, "risk is not the whole story."
Q 1. Shipping Arabia is the first platform dedicated to covering the Middle Eastern shipping and maritime industry in English. What gap in the industry pushed you to create it, and why had no one filled it before?
A: The gap was actually quite obvious to me because I work in the industry every day.The Middle East is one of the most important maritime regions in the world. We have the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Gulf, some of the world's largest and fastest-growing ports, major shipping lines, enormous investment in logistics and infrastructure, and trade routes that are critical to the global economy.But despite all of that, there was no dedicated English-language maritime platform following the region every day and treating the Middle Eastern shipping industry as the main story.Of course, the major international maritime publications cover the Middle East, and many of them do an excellent job. But naturally they are covering the whole world. Very often our region becomes a major story when there is a crisis, a geopolitical event, an attack on shipping, a major transaction or a very large project.What I felt was missing was everything happening in between.A new shipping service, a port development, an investment in a terminal, changes in trade flows, new logistics corridors, what is happening in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Egypt, the UAE or Libya. There are important maritime stories coming out of this region every single day, and many of them simply never reach the wider international shipping community.That is really why I started Shipping Arabia. I wanted the Middle East to be the starting point of the story rather than just one part of somebody else's global coverage.As for why nobody had filled that gap before, I think maritime media has traditionally developed around the established shipping centres in Europe and Asia. Also, to cover a region properly, you really need to understand it from inside the industry. You need to know the ports, the companies, the trade routes and sometimes even why something that looks small internationally is actually very important regionally.That was the space I felt Shipping Arabia could fill.
Q 2. You cover Middle Eastern and North African shipping news in English for a global audience. What does the global shipping community get from that regional coverage that international outlets cannot provide?
A: I think the most important thing is context.You can report that a port has expanded, that a new service has been launched or that a company has announced an investment, but unless you understand the region, you may not immediately see why it matters or what it connects to.When you follow the Middle East and North Africa every day, you start seeing those connections.What happens in Jeddah can affect Red Sea shipping. What happens in Aqaba can have implications for Iraq. Developments in Egyptian ports can affect East Mediterranean and Gulf networks. A port project in Libya may have implications far beyond the Libyan market itself.That is the kind of context we try to provide.The other part is visibility. There is an enormous amount happening across this region that simply does not receive much international coverage.Sometimes we publish a story and I am surprised that nobody outside the country concerned has really covered it, even though commercially it is quite significant.So part of Shipping Arabia's role is finding those stories and putting them in front of the wider maritime community — shipping lines, port operators, shipowners, logistics companies, investors and maritime professionals who may not otherwise see them.I do not look at Shipping Arabia as trying to replace or compete with the major international maritime publications. They cover a global industry.We provide a much deeper regional lens. We are looking at what is happening here every day, understanding why it matters locally, and then explaining why it should matter internationally as well.
Q 3. As someone who tracks the industry daily, what are the two or three forces reshaping shipping in our region right now?
A: The first one has to be geopolitics and disruption.Over the last few years, our region has probably demonstrated more clearly than anywhere else how quickly geopolitics can reshape shipping networks.We have seen the Red Sea crisis, disruption around Bab el-Mandeb, pressure around the Strait of Hormuz and major changes in Suez Canal traffic. Carriers have had to change routings, restructure services, reconsider transshipment hubs and build much more flexibility into their networks.What is interesting is that disruption is no longer being treated as something completely exceptional. Contingency planning is becoming part of normal network planning.The second force is the scale of investment taking place in ports and logistics infrastructure.Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Egypt and others are investing very heavily, but what I find interesting is that they are no longer just building additional quay capacity. They are building logistics zones, industrial areas, dry ports, rail links, distribution centres and much more integrated supply chains.Ports are increasingly competing as logistics ecosystems, not simply as places where ships call.And the third is digitalisation.Shipping is still a traditional industry in many respects, but customs digitalisation, port community systems, automation, artificial intelligence and better use of data are starting to change how cargo moves.For me, the ports and companies that combine physical infrastructure with real operational efficiency and digital capability are the ones that will have the strongest advantage.
Q4. Let's talk about Libya. Misurata's commercial port has kept operating and growing through the years. From where you sit, how has the Misurata Free Zone developed, and what has that growth proven to the industry?
A: What I find particularly interesting about Misurata is that we are not talking about a port development starting from zero.There is already a real cargo base there. Ships are calling, containers are moving and the port has continued to grow despite everything Libya has gone through over the last decade and a half.For someone coming from shipping, that means something.We tend to look at things quite practically. Is the port operating? Are shipping lines calling? Is cargo moving? Are customers using it? Are volumes growing?Misurata has shown that it can continue doing those things even in a very difficult environment.The Free Zone makes the story more interesting because this is not simply about expanding a container terminal. You have the port, industrial land, warehousing, logistics activities and investment opportunities all being developed within the same ecosystem.And now you are seeing another stage beginning, with much greater international participation and major plans for terminal expansion.I think what Misurata has proven so far is resilience and commercial relevance.The next thing it has to prove is whether it can take that existing base and make the jump from being a very important Libyan gateway into something with a much wider Mediterranean and regional role.That is the part I think the shipping industry will be watching closely.
Q 5. From a shipping perspective, what does market entry into Libya look like today: what should a shipping line or logistics company know, about port capacity, customs, and the Free Zone, before routing its first vessel or establishing operations there?
A: I would actually separate those into two different decisions.Routing a vessel to Libya is one thing. Establishing a long-term logistics or investment operation is another.For a shipping line, the first questions are very operational.What draft can I work with? What is the berth availability? What is the terminal productivity? How do pilotage and marine services work? What are the manifest and customs requirements? What is available in terms of container storage, depots and equipment handling?And one issue I would certainly look at is the cargo balance.Libya is still a very import-heavy market, so for a container line it is not enough to ask how many loaded containers you can bring in. You also have to understand what happens to your equipment afterwards.How many boxes are going back loaded? How many empties do I have to evacuate? What does that do to the economics of the service?Those are very practical liner questions.And this is why I think a very strong local agent is essential. Shipping may be global, but operations are always local.For a logistics company or investor looking at the Free Zone, the questions become broader.You need to understand the licensing regime, customs treatment between the Free Zone and the domestic market, warehousing, land, labour, banking, repatriation of funds, transport connections and the legal framework around the investment.Libya is also moving towards more digital customs and trade processes, which is positive.But I would still say to any company entering the market: do your homework, understand the local environment properly and choose the right local partners.There is opportunity there, but you have to enter the market with your eyes open.
6. Ports like Tanger Med turned themselves from local ports into global reference points within two decades. What would Misurata need, in infrastructure, regulation, or perception, to follow a similar path?
A: I would be a little careful with the idea of becoming "the next Tanger Med," because I do not think ports should necessarily try to copy one another.Every port has its own geography, its own market and its own natural role.But Tanger Med is a very useful example because it shows that a successful port is not built simply by adding cranes and deeper berths.The reason Tanger Med became what it is today is because several things developed together: infrastructure, global terminal operators, major shipping lines, industrial zones, manufacturing, hinterland connectivity and a very predictable investment environment.That combination is what matters.Misurata already has some very important pieces of that puzzle.It has an existing cargo base. It has the Free Zone. It has land. It has an industrial base. And now it has major international participation coming into the port-development side.But the next stage is execution.Can you create deeper marine infrastructure? Can you deliver consistently strong terminal productivity? Can customs become faster and more predictable? Can you attract more direct shipping services? Can you create more export-oriented industrial activity inside the Free Zone?And then there is the hinterland question.If Misurata eventually wants to play a meaningful role in trade into the African interior, those road and transit corridors have to become commercially reliable, not just strategically attractive on a map.The regulatory environment is also extremely important because a shipping line can change a service relatively quickly, but an investor putting hundreds of millions into a terminal, warehouse or factory is thinking 20 or 30 years ahead.They need predictability.And finally, perception will follow performance.If ships are being handled efficiently, cargo is growing, international operators are investing and the port proves reliable year after year, the international perception of Misurata will gradually change by itself.
Q 7. International investors often see Libya through a risk lens rather than an opportunity lens. What do shipping and logistics players understand about Misurata that generalist investors are still missing?
A: I think people in shipping often look at markets slightly differently because we are very operational.A general investor may look at Libya and immediately see political fragmentation, security concerns or regulatory risk. Those issues exist and nobody should pretend otherwise.But a shipping person will also ask: how many ships are actually calling? How much cargo is moving? Are the volumes growing? Which carriers are there? Are people investing? Are customers still trading?And when you look at Misurata through those questions, you start seeing a different picture.You see a functioning commercial port. You see significant container volumes. You see shipping lines operating there. You see a Free Zone. You see international companies committing to the next stage of its development.That does not mean the risks disappear.It just means risk is not the whole story.And shipping teaches you this very quickly. Trade does not necessarily stop until every political or economic issue is solved.People still need food. Businesses still need machinery. Factories still need raw materials. Retailers still need stock. Construction continues. Goods have to move.Sometimes shipping sees the underlying commercial reality of a market before the wider investment community does.I think Misurata is a very good example of that.
8. Media plays a real role in whether a port attracts investment or stays invisible. What story about Misurata does the international press need to start telling, and what would change if it did?
A: I do not think the job of the media is to promote Misurata or to convince people that Libya has no problems.That would not be credible.But I do think the international story about Libya is often incomplete.For many people outside the region, Libya is still viewed almost entirely through politics, conflict and security.Those are part of the reality, but they are not the entire reality.There is also a country trading every day. Ships are calling. Containers are moving. Businesses are operating. Infrastructure is being built. Ports are developing. International companies are looking at opportunities.Misurata is one of the places where you can actually see that other side very clearly.So I think the story that deserves more attention is simply what is happening on the ground.How much cargo is moving? What is being built? Who is investing? How is the Free Zone developing? What could this mean for Mediterranean trade in five or ten years?If international maritime media starts asking those questions more often, I do not think investors suddenly stop thinking about risk — and they shouldn't.But they start looking at both sides of the equation.Risk and opportunity.And that is already a much more useful conversation.
9. Shipping Arabia is the Official Media Partner of the Misurata Energy & Business Summit this November, where maritime and ports sit at the heart of the agenda. What are you hoping the summit puts in front of the world, and what would make it a success in your eyes?
A: What I would really like the summit to do is move the conversation from potential to reality.Everybody can talk about Libya's potential. Libya has geography, resources, a long Mediterranean coastline and a large reconstruction and development requirement.But international businesses need something more concrete than potential.They need to understand what is actually happening.What projects are moving? What infrastructure is being developed? What opportunities exist inside the Free Zone? What does a shipping line, logistics company or industrial investor actually need to do if they want to enter the market?And just as importantly, what are the remaining problems that still need to be solved?I think a successful summit should be comfortable talking about both.For me, bringing the port, Free Zone, shipping lines, logistics companies, investors, industrial businesses and government institutions together in the same room is valuable because the conversation becomes much more practical.And from Shipping Arabia's side, this is exactly the kind of story we want to cover.There are very significant developments taking place across the Arab maritime industry, but many of them are still not receiving the international attention they deserve.If people leave Misurata with a clearer understanding of what is actually happening there — what has already been achieved, what the opportunity is and what still needs to be done — then I think the summit will have achieved something important.
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