HTS Regime Reassigns Syria’s Ports: Tartus to UAE’s DP World, Latakia to France’s CMA CGM

By Staff, Agencies

Syria has transferred control of its key Mediterranean ports to foreign operators following decisions made by the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham [HTS]-led administration that took power after the fall of the Assad government.

Tartus port — Syria’s second-largest — has officially been handed to the UAE’s DP World under a 30-year, $800 million concession. The company has already begun operations, months after concluding the agreement with Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Ports. Fahad al-Banna, the new CEO of DP World Tartus, said the firm aims to apply its global expertise to modernize the port, boost capacity, and develop Tartus into a major trade hub in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The concession includes significant upgrades to infrastructure, expansion of storage and handling capabilities, and investment in bulk-cargo systems.

The move follows HTS’s decision in June to cancel a 2019 contract between Damascus and Russia’s Stroytransgaz, accusing the Russian firm of failing to meet its obligation to invest $500 million in modernizing Tartus.

Simultaneously, HTS finalized another 30-year agreement with France’s CMA CGM to operate Latakia, Syria’s largest port.

These shifts in Syria’s strategic maritime assets come after US President Donald Trump announced in May the full removal of American sanctions on Syria. Trump made the declaration in Riyadh during a meeting with HTS leader Abu Mohammed Al-Julani, who indicated a willingness to normalize relations between Syria and Israel.

Al-Julani, formerly linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh, consolidated power after HTS forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.