by Lloyd's List

20 August 2025 (Lloyd's List) - TRACEABLE calls at Syrian ports have quadrupled after the US and EU lifted sanctions earlier this year.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows cargo-carrying vessels made 92 traceable calls to Syria’s Banias, Tartous and Lattakia ports in July, up 338% from 21 calls in July 2024.

In tonnage terms, this is equivalent to 1.1m dwt in July 2025, up from 300,000 dwt in July 2024.

A traceable call is when a vessel is captured berthing by Automatic Identification System data, and AIS is enabled throughout the entire voyage.

The EU, US, Arab League and some other key economies imposed economic sanctions on Syria under Bashar Assad’s rule in 2011, as a response to its brutal reaction to opposition.

More sanctions came into effect during the civil war in the following years.

The EU removed some of its restrictions in May after Bashar Assad was overthrown by the armed opposition groups in December 2024, led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The US lifted sanctions on Syria in late June.

King’s College London associate professor of economics Cevat Giray Aksoy said that the “year-on-year surge in declared July port calls is actually consistent with recent US/EU sanctions easing legal and financing frictions for non-designated cargo, alongside broader regional economic and political re-engagement”.

Aksoy added that reconstruction efforts were probably underway, which would further reinforce activity at Syrian ports.

He said the activity was expected to remain elevated, “supported by domestic consumption and reconstruction driven demand”.

Syria’s maritime trade has been increasing since February this year, with traceable port calls hitting the highest recorded level since at least 2022.

In 2023-2024, an average of 17 arrivals to Syria were captured each month using AIS data.

Under Bashar al-Assad’s government, and because of the sanctions imposed against Syria’s economy, a significant amount of seaborne trade was conducted surreptitiously. That continues to this day.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence data shows at least 25 dark port calls were made at Syrian ports throughout June and July.

Aksoy said that the operators still face residual sanctions exposure and compliance-related risks, which keep some flows unreported.

“In the near term, I would expect a two-track pattern: more transparent movements in low-risk, non-designated cargo alongside a persistent shadow trade in higher-risk cargoes,” Aksoy said. “If policy clarity continues to improve, reporting will likely normalise gradually.”

Zaki Mehchy, senior consulting fellow at Chatham House and the co-founder of the Syrian Center for Policy Research, said that the increase in maritime traffic was a result of policies that the new rulers of Syria have adopted.

“The current authorities adopted an open trade policy, particularly in the first few months of 2025, which led to a surge in trade, especially imports.

“The lifting of sanctions, though not yet complete and with overcompliance still posing challenges, and the relatively more open stance of Western countries towards Syria have also reinforced the above factors.” 

Mehchy said that this increase in the traceable port calls reflected “Syria’s growing dependency on external markets and highlights the weakness of its economic sovereignty”.

For many years Syria’s core trading partners have been Lebanon, Türkiye and Egypt.

While most arrivals into Syria are still from these countries, there has been a diversification from where vessels are arriving.

There has been a notable uptick in the number of arrivals from European countries, including Spain and Italy, which have not had any maritime trade with Syria for several years.

General cargoships dominate the arrivals to Syria, but there has also been a uptick in bulk carriers and containership calls.

According to his Mehchy’s research, imports of consumer goods, particularly used cars, contributed to the surge in ship traffic.

The first traceable arrival of a vehicle carrier in at least two years was recorded in April.

Panama-flagged Young Shin (IMO: 9021332) arrived in Tartous on 28 April after loading in South Korea’s Incheon.

Mehchy said that it is an impact of the new contracts and increasing trust in the ports of Syria.

“The authorities extended the contract with CMA CGM to develop Lattakia port and signed a new contract with DP World to improve Tartous port. While tangible improvements are not yet visible, these agreements have increased trust in Syria’s maritime transport sector.”