LONDON: Commercial operations began on Tuesday at the new Quay No. 4 at Tartous Port in the Syrian Arab Republic, which expands the port’s cargo-handling capacity and aims to cut waiting times for large vessels.
The first cargo ship to use the quay docked and began unloading after officials completed the handover of the quay, its facilities and adjacent storage yards, Syria’s state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
Port officials said the new facility is expected to bolster maritime trade and improve the flow of goods through one of the country’s main Mediterranean commercial gateways.
Youssef Arnous, head of the port’s Operations and Investment Department, confirmed that Quay No. 4 had entered service with the arrival and unloading of its first vessel.
The quay offers a 360-meter waterfront and a draft, or water depth, that ranges from 10 to 13 meters, allowing it to accommodate as many as three large vessels at the same time, Arnous said. It is expected to reduce waiting times for large ships and provide faster service for customers.
Adjacent storage areas will be used to support cargo handling and warehousing, further helping to accelerate the movement of goods. The new quay is adjacent to the existing Quay No. 5, which handles cars and other vehicles, and Arnous said this proximity would improve the coordination of port operations and services.
Tartous, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, is the second-largest port in the country after Latakia. It can handle containerized cargo, bulk goods, vehicles and liquid cargo, positioning it as an important conduit for imports and exports, as well as trade related to the reconstruction of the country after the near-14-year civil war that ended in December 2024.
It has three piers and 24 berths that offer about 6.4 kilometers of berthing space, according to a Logistics Cluster capacity assessment. Its channel is reported to have a depth of 14.5 meters, while berth drafts vary to accommodate different types of cargo vessels.
The port handled significant traffic during the first eight months of last year, when 594 vessels moved more than 3.6 million tonnes of cargo, according to Syria’s General Authority of Ports and Customs. Imports accounted for about 3 million tonnes, while exports exceeded 600,000 tonnes.
The opening of the new quay comes amid a broader modernization initiative at the port. In July 2025, Syria signed a 30-year “build-operate-transfer” concession deal with DP World in Dubai for the development and operation of the port.
DP World said it planned to invest $800 million during the time frame of the agreement on infrastructure improvements, cargo-handling equipment and digital systems, including a multipurpose terminal, and potential industrial and free-trade zones.
