Syria says Iraqi oil shipments surge as Damascus courts foreign energy investment
Speaking at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Washington on Tuesday, Syrian Petroleum Company CEO Yousef Qiblawy said Iraq's overland oil exports through Syria have expanded rapidly in recent months.
WASHINGTON — Syria is now receiving around 1,000 Iraqi oil tanker trucks per day, up from just 200 in March, according to the head of the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC), underscoring Damascus' ambitions to position itself as a regional energy transit hub as conflict in the Gulf disrupts traditional export routes.
What happened: Speaking at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum in Washington on Tuesday, SPC CEO Yousef Qiblawy said Iraq's overland oil exports through Syria have expanded rapidly in recent months.
"When we started the process two months ago, we were not able to receive more than 200 trucks. Currently, we are receiving 1,000 trucks," Qiblawy said, adding that each tanker carries roughly 220 barrels of fuel oil destined for Syria's Mediterranean coast.
Qiblawy attributed the increase to investments in roads, security infrastructure and border logistics as Syria works to capitalize on disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz by developing itself into a regional energy corridor.
