ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A 10,000-ton shipment of Iraqi sulfur was exported through Syria’s coastal port city of Tartus, Damascus’ border authority reported on Monday, noting that it is the first batch of a much larger stockpile of around one million tons of the same commodity. This comes as Iraqi exports via Syria have recently surged amid shipping disruptions in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“The port of Tartus has witnessed the export of its first transit shipment of sulfur, carrying around 10,000 tons,” the Syrian General Authority for Borders and Customs said in a statement, noting that “this is the first transit shipment of sulfur arriving from Iraq via Jordan to the port.”
The total planned quantity to be exported through the port is about one million tons, “which is expected to boost commercial activity and transit traffic in the port in the coming period,” the Authority added. It further described the development as reflecting “the increasing confidence in the Port of Tartus as a logistical hub on the Mediterranean Sea, alongside its growing role in supporting regional transport and trade.”
Syrian Transport Minister Yarob Badr on Sunday said that the interim authorities in Damascus are “continuing efforts to reactivate transit corridors and facilitate transit and clearance procedures to ensure smooth truck movement,” according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
He added that “coordination is ongoing with relevant authorities to improve the efficiency of services in the transport and trade sectors, which is expected to positively impact regional economic activity.”
Badr further confirmed a push to “rehabilitate the land corridor between Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia on one route, and between Turkey, Syria, and Iraq on another,” noting that the plan is “receiving strong attention from the Syrian government.”
The development comes against the backdrop of ongoing shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 25 percent of all seaborne oil traded globally passes.
The US and Israel in late February launched a large-scale aerial campaign against Iran, striking thousands of targets across the country over six weeks of hostilities, before the warring sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8, halting fighting to allow space for talks.
While the first round of talks concluded without a final agreement on April 11, a second round has yet to take place, with a comprehensive resolution to the conflict still pending.
In parallel with the diplomatic efforts, Iran and the US have engaged in tit-for-tat maritime measures. Tehran has tightened its grip on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington imposed a maritime blockade on Iranian ports on April 13.
For Iraq, prior to the six-week war, oil production stood at around 4.5 million barrels per day, with roughly 3.5 million barrels exported daily. Nearly 90 percent of those exports passed through the Strait of Hormuz.
However, exports fell to 18.6 million barrels in March, generating about $1.96 billion in revenue, compared with more than 99 million barrels and $6.81 billion in February, according to official figures from the oil ministry.
Accordingly, Baghdad began shipments via Syria in late March, with around 700 tankers transporting roughly 20,000 to 30,000 barrels per day via the al-Waleed border crossing in Iraq’s western Anbar province.
With the latest sulfur shipment through Syria, Baghdad appears to be further expanding the variety of its exports.
Of note, the Iraqi industry ministry announced in December 2022 that the country holds the world’s largest sedimentary sulfur reserves, with more than 400 million tons located in the northern Nineveh province’s Mishraq fields.