A specialized livestock transport vessel departed today from Baniyas Port, in Tartus governorate, western Syria, after being converted from a commercial ship into a carrier equipped for animal transport. The project was carried out entirely by Syrian technical crews.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, March 31, Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Ports and Customs said local workshops completed the conversion in a record period of just six months. The ship was turned into a specialized maritime unit capable of transporting about 20,000 sheep.
The authority said the vessel has six decks and is equipped according to the latest international standards for the safe transport of livestock during long sea voyages.
It added that the project is “another notable achievement” for Syrian ports and reflects the accumulated expertise in Baniyas in ship maintenance and rehabilitation.
The authority said the conversion work was carried out entirely by Syrian experts, with local technical teams preparing the vessel in record time, in a step that strengthens reliance on domestic capabilities in ship maintenance and rehabilitation and reduces the need to resort to foreign repair yards.
The port also represents, according to the statement, “a nurturing environment for local talent,” helping develop local technical skills and strengthen their role in the vital maritime transport sector. The authority said the achievement opens new prospects for ship maintenance and development inside Syria.
Port development
The project comes as part of ongoing efforts to develop Syria’s port sector.
On January 15, the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports and Customs signed a strategic investment agreement with a Turkish company to establish an integrated shipyard at Tartus Port under the build-operate-transfer model, or BOT.
According to a statement published by the authority at the time, the agreement grants the investing company the right to build, equip, operate, and manage a full shipyard that includes shipbuilding, repair, and maintenance services in line with the latest internationally approved engineering and technical standards.
The project is intended to help localize an advanced maritime industry inside Syria.
Under the agreement, the investment will last 30 years starting from the signing date. The Turkish company is committed to investing at least $190 million within a maximum of five years to cover all construction and equipment works, including docks, machinery, warehouses, and operational facilities, without imposing any financial obligations on the authority.
The agreement also provides a special 20% discount, before taxes, on the total invoice value for shipbuilding, repair, or maintenance work related to vessels owned by the Syrian government, in a move aimed at improving operational efficiency and easing financial burdens.
The Turkish investor is also required to create 1,700 direct jobs and 3,500 indirect jobs, with Syrians making up no less than 95% of the workforce. The deal also includes training and qualifying Syrian personnel and transferring technical expertise across the various stages of maritime industry development.
Earlier agreements
The authority had also previously signed a strategic agreement with DP World to invest in, operate, expand, and manage Tartus Port, with an investment value of $800 million over 30 years, with the possibility of renewal.
Following the signing, then head of the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports, Qutaiba Badawi, said the agreement aimed to “build a model of investment cooperation based on a balance between the requirements of economic recovery and the foundations of effective partnership.”
He added that negotiations had taken months of dialogue and scrutiny, and that the agreement was “balanced, robust, and built on transparency, in a way that guarantees the interests of the Syrian state and its people.”
Badawi said the $800 million investment would be distributed in three phases, $200 million, $200 million, and $400 million, with the possibility of injecting the full amount in the early years without a binding timetable.
For his part, DP World Chairman and CEO Sultan bin Sulayem said Syria, “despite the challenges it has gone through, remains a country with deep-rooted and strong economic potential,” adding that Tartus Port could serve as “a vital connection point” and “an ideal gateway to Europe.”
He said the project would help create jobs on a large scale.
These projects are expected to help turn Syria’s ports into integrated maritime industrial hubs, with increasing reliance on local expertise in ship maintenance and rehabilitation, supporting the national economy and opening new investment opportunities.
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