Syria has restarted exports of heavy crude oil for the first time in years, signaling efforts to revive its war-torn energy sector and reassert its presence in global markets.
The Ministry of Energy confirmed that 600,000 barrels of heavy crude were shipped on Monday from the Tartus terminal aboard the tanker Nissos Christiana, destined for B Serve Energy Company. The statement described the move as part of broader state directives to expand international cooperation and rebuild the oil industry.
The government said more shipments would follow in the coming months. Officials hailed the resumption as a turning point for an industry once central to Syria’s economy before the civil war.
In June, Syria resumed limited exports of refined petroleum products from the Baniyas refinery, also located in Tartus province, marking its first international shipment in over a decade. Baniyas, 35 kilometers north of Tartus, remains Syria’s largest refining facility and an important oil hub.
Before the conflict erupted in 2011, crude oil contributed roughly 20% of GDP, 50% of state revenues, and nearly half of export earnings. Syria pumped about 390,000 barrels per day in 2010, but output collapsed to just 40,000 barrels per day in 2023.
For much of the war, Syria relied heavily on Iranian crude imports to generate electricity, but those supplies were disrupted after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024. Assad fled to Russia, ending nearly six decades of Ba’ath Party rule. A transitional government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa has since taken steps to restore the oil sector as a cornerstone of economic recovery.
