650,000 Barrels of Oil; Saudi Arabia’s Gift to Syria

On Monday, a Saudi oil tanker carrying approximately 90,000 tons of crude oil arrived at the port of Baniyas in Syria, an action conducted within the framework of the Saudi grant aimed at meeting domestic needs and enhancing economic and developmental cooperation between the two countries.

According to Entekhab, citing Euronews, the Syrian official news agency (SANA) reported, quoting Ahmad Qabbaji, Deputy CEO of the Syrian Oil Company, that the port of Baniyas received the first part of the Saudi grant on Monday; the shipment is estimated at around 650,000 barrels. He added that the second shipment, estimated at one million barrels of oil, is scheduled to arrive on November 23 of this year and is set to be refined at the Baniyas refinery.

Meanwhile, Abdulhadi Jubbasi, Director of the Baniyas Oil Terminal, noted that the unloading process of the tanker is underway and will require 72 hours to complete.

Mazen Alloush, Director of Relations at the General Directorate of Land and Sea Ports, also explained that to meet continuous energy needs and support the operation of domestic refineries, the port of Baniyas received the oil tanker “Petalidi” coming from Saudi Arabia, carrying approximately 90,000 tons of crude oil.

He added that technical teams have begun unloading operations in accordance with the highest technical and environmental safety standards, so that the oil is gradually transferred to the Baniyas refinery and a stable supply of petroleum derivatives to the domestic market is ensured.

It is worth noting that Syria and Saudi Arabia previously signed a memorandum of understanding under which Riyadh would provide 1.65 million barrels of crude oil to Damascus as a grant. The arrival of this tanker marks the first outcome of the agreement between the Syrian Ministry of Energy and the Saudi Development Fund.