UAE partially lifts ban on Qatari shipping

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Is that a small sunbeam of optimism breaking through the clouds (metaphorical, of course) hanging over Middle East container supply chains? Authorities in Abu Dhabi have said that Qatari-bound goods, as well as Qatari exports, are now allowed to transit the United Arab Emirates container gateways, principally the huge transhipment hub of Dubai, and Abu Dhabi’s own emerging facilities at Khalifa. However, Maritime Executive also reports that the wider ban imposed by the UAE along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain remains in place, and Qatari-flagged ships continue to be banned from the four nations’ ports.