Syria has exported 600,000 barrels of heavy crude oil from the port of Tartus as part of a deal with a trading company, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA, citing a Syrian official from the Energy Ministry. The agency notes that this is the first official export of Syrian oil in 14 years.
In 2010, Syria was exporting 380,000 barrels of crude oil a day, a year before protests against longtime President Bashar al-Assad's rule escalated into a nearly 14-year civil war that has devastated the country's economy and infrastructure, including crude oil production.
Assad was ousted in December, and the Islamist government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa that took power has vowed to revive Syria's economy.
Riyad al-Jabousi, assistant director for crude oil and gas at the Syrian Energy Ministry, told Reuters that the heavy crude had been sold to "B Serve Energy", which is affiliated with British oil trading company "BB Energy" (BB Energy).
Syria's Energy Ministry said in a written statement that the crude oil was exported on the Greek-flagged oil tanker "Nisson Christiana".
Al-Jubasi said the crude oil was extracted from several fields, but did not specify which ones.
The majority of Syria's oil fields are in the northeast of the country, in territory controlled by Kurdish authorities. In February, the Kurds began supplying crude oil to the government in Damascus, but relations have since soured over concerns about inclusion and the rights of minorities, including Kurds.
The oil fields have changed hands many times during the Syrian war, and US and EU sanctions have made it difficult to both legally export and import oil. The sanctions remained in place for several months after the Assad regime was toppled, making it difficult for the new administration in Damascus to import energy resources.
However, after US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Syria in June, American companies began developing a plan to explore and extract Syrian oil and gas.
Syria also signed an $800 million memorandum of understanding with Dubai-based trading company "DP World" (DP World) to develop, manage and operate a multi-purpose terminal in Tartus after Syria canceled a contract with a Russian company that operated the port under Bashar al-Assad.