Syria announces the arrival of the first Iraqi oil convoy via al-Tanf towards Banias
Syria announces the arrival of the first Iraqi oil convoy via al-Tanf towards Banias
2026-04-01 05:27
Shafaq News – Damascus
The Syrian Petroleum Company announced on Wednesday the arrival of the first convoy of Iraqi fuel oil (fuel) via the Tanf crossing towards the Banias oil terminal, in a move that it said represents the beginning of a new phase of transit operations.
Safwan Sheikh Ahmed, the company’s Director of Corporate Communications, told Shafaq News Agency that the first convoy included 299 tankers, noting that the technical teams had begun preparing the unloading operations in preparation for reloading the shipments onto marine tankers designated for export to their final destinations.
He added that the move comes as part of reactivating Syria’s role as a regional energy corridor and boosting transit revenues, noting that work is underway to expand this route in the next phase to include the transport and export of various petroleum products through Syrian ports.
According to Reuters, the Iraqi oil marketing company SOMO signed contracts to supply about 650,000 metric tons of fuel oil per month during the period from April to June, with the quantities to be transported overland through Syrian territory.
For his part, the director of the Iraqi Al-Walid district, Mujahid Mardhi Al-Dulaimi, said that more than 150 tankers are currently waiting to enter Syrian territory, expecting that the rate of tanker entry will reach about 500 tankers per day.
Earlier, oil expert and former spokesman for the Ministry of Oil, Assem Jihad, confirmed to Shafaq News Agency that what is being transported through Syrian territory is black oil and not Iraqi crude oil, noting that exporting in this manner is a temporary, forced option and the quantities are limited, and that transport by tankers is expensive compared to pipelines.
He added that SOMO had signed a contract to transport 650,000 metric tons per month during the months of April, May and June, equivalent to about 4.85 million barrels per month.
Crude oil is oil extracted directly from the fields before refining, while black oil is a heavy product resulting from refining operations and is often used as an industrial fuel. It has a lower value and higher transportation costs compared to crude oil.
Iraq announced on Tuesday the start of Iraqi oil exports by land through the Al-Walid border crossing with Syria, with the passage of 101 oil tankers heading to the port of Banias, with a total capacity of about 3.2 million liters of crude oil.
The move comes amid regional tensions and fears of disruption to maritime exports through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the adoption of land exports as a limited alternative to ensure the continued flow of crude oil.
shafaq.com
