WEEKLY NEWS


DIGITAL FREIGHT PAYMENTS GAIN GROUND IN THE GULF


AIR CARG O WEEK


BY Ajinkya GURAV


THE Gulf’s trade infrastructure took a major step forward with the


partnership between Emirates SkyCargo and PayCargo, 02


introducing real-time, cloud-based payment systems into the UAE’s airfreight sector. As air cargo faces growing demands for speed, transparency, and compliance, this collaboration highlights the growing strategic role of financial technology in trade. While modernisation


has infrastructure—runways, historically terminals, focused and on physical warehouses—the


pandemic exposed the limitations of these alone. Outdated, manual payment systems continue to cause delays, raising demurrage costs and slowing cargo release. PayCargo’s digital platform, now available to Emirates SkyCargo


Trade policy alignment The launch aligns with the UAE’s National Digital Economy Strategy, which identifies logistics as a priority sector. In 2023, logistics contributed AED 220 billion (US$59.9 billion) to GDP


customers, allows shippers and forwarders to make real-time payments via credit card or direct debit, enabling same-day or next- business-day cargo release. This reduces paperwork,


cash flow, and speeds up reconciliation. “This is about solving structural inefficiencies at scale,” said


Eduardo Del Riego, CEO of PayCargo. “Our system enhances both the speed and security of cargo transactions.” For Emirates SkyCargo—servicing over 150 global


destinations—this adds resilience and agility to its operations, strengthening its financial backbone alongside automation.


improves


and is projected to grow 8 percent annually through 2028. Digital payment platforms support this growth by improving compliance with Know Your Customer (KYC), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and customs regulations. At major hubs like Dubai International Airport—which handled


over 1.9 million tonnes of cargo in 2024—digitisation also helps meet evolving international standards, including the EU’s ICS2 and ICAO’s CORSIA. “This isn’t just a payment solution,” said Hisham Al Gurg, CEO of Seed Group, PayCargo’s regional advisor. “It’s a model for how digital finance can drive competitiveness.” Industry stakeholders also stand to benefit. Freight forwarders


can bypass manual payment confirmations and avoid demurrage costs. Ground handlers gain faster turnover and better warehouse utilisation. Air carriers can optimise cargo flows, a growing priority for time-sensitive shipments. Globally, fewer than 25 percent of air cargo payments are


Did You Know ? HARMFUL ALGAE BY Michael SALES


Farmed fish, especially salmon, have become a popular and affordable high- protein food throughout the world. In the northern waters around Norway, the Faroes, Scotland and Iceland, aquaculture is a major industry for producers and airlines, opening up markets all over


the world.


However, several problems and challenges have emerged recently, which threaten the viability of aquaculture. Algae attacks have already killed millions


of salmon, but the industry is concerned that it is likely to spread even further north. A surge of harmful algal blooms (HABs), has


already killed an estimated eight


million salmon at Norwegian fish farms and continues to pose a serious threat to


fish farming operations, causing oxygen depletion, stress, and even large-scale fish mortality. An analysis of algae samples shows moderate to high chrysochromulina density. Similar outbreaks of fish-killing algae have become frequent in rivers and lakes such as Lake Windermere. With the planet warming and pollution


poisoning both fresh and sea waters, our fishing industries are under threat. Fish waste from uneaten food can pollute the surrounding environment, potentially leading to algal blooms and other problems. Farmed salmon can frequently escape into the wild, potentially interbreeding with wild salmon and impacting their genetic diversity—a claim strongly denied by producers—while crowded salmon pens can create ideal conditions for diseases and parasites, like sea lice.


The state-owned Norwegian Seafood


Council reports that salmon farming is facing its worst-ever algae problem. Can technology help to combat threat? One


company, Poseidon technologies


Systems, mitigates HABs through advanced life-support


system includes several


to maintain optimal water quality in aquaculture environments. Their


key


components: the “Oxypressor” produces up to 92 percent pure oxygen at a rate of 150 kg O2/hour, available also as a containerised solution


for flexible deployment. This


counteracts oxygen depletion caused by HABs. This equipment, along with other products, creates a scalable, mobile life- support system that can be deployed on barges tailored to the farmer’s oxygen needs.


this invasive Ocean


designed


processed digitally, according to IATA. The Emirates–PayCargo model could inspire adoption across other GCC states pursuing logistics digitisation under frameworks like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.


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