By: Dr. Kamran Yeganegi
Jordan Daily - Aqaba’s growing role as an alternative trade route is giving Jordan an economic opening. Sustaining that role depends on reliable delivery and on keeping domestic supplies moving when regional disruption puts shared transport networks under pressure. The opportunity brings a practical security question into focus: how well can Jordan’s essential services withstand disruptions that spread from one sector to another?
Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II’s recent emphasis on supply chains and strategic stocks provides a timely starting point. Jordan Daily reported that government discussions addressed supplies through Aqaba and reserves of essential commodities and energy. Translating that emphasis into operational readiness requires examining how supplies reach their users during difficult conditions.
A hospital’s fuel reserve, for example, buys time only if replenishment arrives before it runs out. Delivery depends on transport availability and an emergency contract that the supplier can fulfil. National inventory figures capture part of this picture; service-continuity assessments establish how long critical facilities can function and how quickly interruptions can be resolved.
Aqaba’s opportunity rests on reliability
Reuters reported on September 1 that transit volumes at Aqaba Container Terminal rose by 155.1 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. Increased cargo movements to Iraq, following disruptions to Gulf routes, were a principal driver.
This creates an opening for Jordan to establish lasting commercial relationships. Cargo owners assess a route through the predictability of final delivery. Efficient unloading loses some of its value when clearance is delayed or inland transport cannot keep pace.
The concentration of Jordan’s maritime access in Aqaba makes coordination particularly important. Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb risks affect shipments using that route, while increased traffic can place additional demands on trucking and storage. These pressures meet along the same delivery chain.
Transit growth therefore strengthens the case for reviewing shared capacity. During periods of peak demand, operators need arrangements that preserve domestic deliveries of essential goods while handling regional cargo. Better scheduling and clearance coordination can ease pressure before expensive expansion becomes necessary. Where additional infrastructure is justified, operational evidence can identify the bottlenecks worth addressing first.
Water security depends on operating connections
The relationship between water and electricity exposes another critical dependency. Pumping facilities rely on power, and prolonged equipment failures can alter distribution schedules. Repair capacity depends on access to replacement components and specialised personnel.
The Aqaba–Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project makes continuity planning especially relevant to future investment. According to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the project is designed to produce 300 million cubic metres of drinking water annually through a conveyance system extending approximately 438 kilometres. A solar power plant forms part of the scheme.
Its scale gives maintenance access and equipment availability lasting importance. Identifying components with long procurement lead times during development allows operators to plan storage and replacement arrangements. Assessing backup power requirements early also helps integrate continuity costs into investment decisions.
Existing networks offer another route to stronger preparedness. Reducing water losses lowers the production and energy required to meet demand, easing operating pressure. The World Bank’s 2023 approval of $250 million for water-network rehabilitation, energy efficiency and drought management illustrates this connection. Evaluating such investments against service reliability would help establish their wider economic value.
Test the connections between essential services
Jordan’s National Centre for Security and Crisis Management provides an institutional setting for coordinating a focused assessment across essential-service operators. A joint exercise could examine dependencies that remain difficult to assess through separate organisational plans.
A manageable scenario would combine a delayed fuel delivery with an electricity interruption affecting part of the network. Operators could then record the time required to activate alternatives and observe how fuel-allocation priorities work when several facilities seek replenishment simultaneously.
The exercise would also reveal where decisions become delayed. Some responses fall within an operator’s authority; others require national coordination. Establishing these boundaries in advance reduces uncertainty when time is scarce.
Contracted suppliers and hauliers belong in the exercise because they carry out delivery commitments. Their participation allows emergency agreements to be tested against actual capacity and competing demands. Excluding them leaves a substantial part of the supply chain unexamined.
This approach can begin with existing resources. Mapping dependencies and testing procedures would generate evidence for subsequent spending. Backup power at a critical facility or a component with a long delivery time may achieve a substantial reduction in downtime at relatively modest cost. The assessment provides a basis for comparing those options.
Direct spending towards recoverable services
Reserve planning becomes more useful when linked to local access. Storage location and transport time influence how long a facility can continue operating. Each operator needs a credible estimate of accessible resources and replenishment time.
The consequences of interruption also vary. Patients requiring continuous treatment have limited room to wait, while low-income households struggle to absorb higher costs. Assistance arrangements gain practical value when they identify these needs before disruption occurs.
The proposed exercise would produce a defined set of corrective actions, each with an accountable organisation and an implementation deadline. Measurable recovery targets would allow progress to be checked. Its findings could then guide infrastructure and maintenance budgets towards the weaknesses that cause the longest interruptions. That would give Jordan a concrete basis for strengthening essential services as its regional economic role expands.
Dr. Kamran Yeganegi is an academic and researcher specialising in energy diplomacy, geo-economics, regional connectivity and strategic foresight.
