Oil Exports Resume After 14 Years from Syria’s Tartus Port
The first cargo of Syrian crude oil to be exported from the port of Tartus since the Syrian civil war was lifted on September 1. The Greek-owned tanker Nissos Christiana (114,264 dwt), loaded 600,000 barrels of heavy crude oil according to the Syrian Ministry of Energy. The cargo has been purchased by BB Energy, a global oil-trading firm, for an unknown final customer.
The vessel, which was built in 2015, is managed by Kyklades Maritime and registered in Greece. According to its AIS signal, it has yet to depart Syria, but the Ministry is calling it an important step in revitalizing the oil sector and broadening international cooperation.
Given the volume of oil lifted, most if not all the crude must have come from oil fields in Rojava, the Kurdish-controlled territory in the north east of Syria controlled by the Democratic Union Party (PYD). The PYD as part of its reconciliation with the new government in Damascus permitted oil exports to recommence in February, although supply may have been disrupted recently by renewed tensions between the PYD and the government.
In 2010, the last full year before production was disrupted, Syria exported a modest 380,000 barrels of oil per day. Shell had developed and operated the largest Syrian oil field in conjunction with government interests, but suspended production in 2011 when EU sanctions were imposed. The second-largest foreign operator was France’s Total, also government-tied.
The revival of Tartus as a crude export terminal comes as DP World has signed an $800 million agreement with the Syrian government under which it will develop and manage the port. DP World replaced the previous Russian operator OAO Stroytransgaz who had operated the port since 2019.
The Russian submarine Novorossky seems to be leaving the Med.
— itamilradar (@ItaMilRadar) September 1, 2025
Together with tug Jakob Grebelsky, the pair is now sailing NW in the central Mediterranean at 11–15 kts.#Russia https://t.co/nFA8blhdDs
The Russian Navy appears to have finally closed its links with Tartus, previously the supply and maintenance base for its Mediterranean Flotilla. Earlier this month, without docking the Russian Kilo Class submarine RFS Novorossiksk (B261) was active off Tartus for several weeks, the last remnant of the Mediterranean Flotilla still operating in the Mediterranean.
In an extraordinary reversal of fortunes, the open source analyst italmilradar has plotted what appears to be the imminent departure of the Novorossiksk and its accompanying Goryn Class tug Yakov Grebelskiy through the Straits of Gibraltar - which would mark the end of the permanent Russian presence in the Mediterranean - albeit further visits can be expected.