Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA The owners of the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal – Ever Given – are claiming that the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is at fault for allowing the vessel to enter the canal during very bad weather and extremely high crosswinds. The owners also say the vessel was to have had two tugboats alongside, but these were not provided by SCA. The SCA is claiming $916 million against the owner and the vessel continues to be held in Egypt. Recent reports have the SCA claim being reduced to $550 million. Courts in Egypt have also ruled that the vessel can continue to be detained but there were stories that the vessel may be released against a $200 million security deposit...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Regional News Dry weather across the UK and Europe is becoming increasingly concerning for the 2027 crops as planting intentions are lowered amid dry soil conditions. Delayed sowing or establishment under adverse conditions could leave crops more vulnerable to frost/freeze events and dise...
From WPI Consulting
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.