Tartus — Syria has exported its first shipment of crude oil in more than a decade, marking a dramatic turn in the country’s fortunes after years of war, sanctions, and economic collapse. The rare cargo, comprising 600,000 barrels of heavy crude, departed the Mediterranean port of Tartus on Sunday aboard the Greek-owned tanker Nissos Christiana.
Officials in Damascus hailed the departure as a “historic step” toward reestablishing Syria’s place in global energy markets. Before the outbreak of the war in 2011, the country exported roughly 380,000 barrels of oil per day, primarily to Europe. By 2023, however, production had fallen to just 40,000 barrels per day, with pipelines shattered, fields under the control of rival militias, and foreign sanctions choking trade.
The shipment was arranged with B Serve Energy, a firm linked to the international trader BB Energy, according to two officials familiar with the deal. The sale underscores how far Syria’s new leadership has moved to restore foreign partnerships after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.
The Islamist-led administration that succeeded Assad has sought to normalize relations abroad, aided by the lifting of US sanctions in June 2025 under then-president Donald Trump. That decision cleared the way for Western and Gulf investment, breaking years of diplomatic and financial isolation.
Central to the export push is an $800 million deal with DP World, the Dubai-based ports operator, to redevelop Tartus into a modern hub. The agreement effectively replaces earlier Russian contracts, reflecting a realignment of Syria’s economic loyalties. Analysts also point to discussions about reviving the mothballed Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, which once carried Iraqi crude to Mediterranean markets, as evidence of Syria’s ambitions to rejoin regional energy networks.
The export comes at a moment of uncertainty for Syria’s fractured energy map. Key oil fields in the northeast remain under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, while Russia has maintained a presence in parts of central and western Syria, supplying diesel in defiance of Western restrictions. Whether Damascus can consolidate control over resources or strike deals with rival groups will shape the scale of its comeback.
For now, the shipment is as much political as it is economic. It signals to potential partners that Syria is not only open for business but also willing to tilt away from Moscow’s shadow toward Gulf and Western investors. Energy analysts warn, however, that output is unlikely to return to pre-war levels without massive investment in infrastructure, which remains vulnerable to regional instability.
The financial dimension of Syria’s renewed exports also intersects with Greece’s SKAI media network and its owner, Ioannis Alafouzos, whose outlets, including United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) and Investigate Europe, have frequently reported on “shadow fleets” of tankers evading sanctions.
According to the Times of Israel, Alafouzos-linked funds have been quietly withdrawn from Israeli investments, dealing another blow to an economy already under strain from war and political isolation. Yet while SKAI’s reporting has spotlighted the dark fleet phenomenon, companies tied to Alafouzos are simultaneously engaging in trade with Damascus by purchasing crude shipments from Syria, underscoring the contradictions shaping energy markets in the region.
According to Reuters, the crude shipment underscores the government’s push to re-establish its sovereignty over trade routes and revive an economy gutted by war and sanctions, while raising fresh questions about the balance of power between Russia, the Gulf states, and the West in post-Assad Syria.
