Corridor

The Gulf war is bringing Syria back onto the MENA business map.

Syria’s coast is gaining new strategic importance as investors look to build trade routes linking Gulf countries and Iraq to North Africa and the rest of the Mediterranean, and to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.

Traffic at Syrian ports has increased at least 25% since March 2026. According to recent data from Syria’s General Authority for Borders and Customs, 945 ships carrying 8 million tons of cargo have passed through the country’s ports in the first half of 2026. 

In Tartus, Dubai-based logistics giant DP World has invested $800 million in a 30-year concession to develop and operate port facilities. Three harbor cranes delivered this summer are expected to boost cargo-handling capacity by 40% and allow larger vessels to dock.

“By investing in world-class infrastructure, technology and our people, we are creating a modern gateway that will strengthen supply chains, attract new trade opportunities and contribute to the country’s long-term economic recovery,” said Fahad al-Banna, CEO of DP World Tartus, in a press conference. 

Further north, French shipping and logistics major CMA-CGM – whose founding Saadé family has roots on the Syrian coast – secured a similar $265 million contract to modernize and run maritime infrastructure in Latakia. In May, the group also signed to operate dry ports near Damascus and Aleppo, strengthening road and rail connections between Syria’s two largest cities and maritime hubs.  

Infrastructure Construction Begins

New infrastructure is emerging to knit Syria’s coast into the wider region including airport renovations, pipelines, and data cables. In August, U.S. firm UNIFI signed a deal for 149-mile submarine cable connecting Cyprus and Tartous, helping data flow from the Gulf to Europe. 

The projects are part of wider billion-dollar investment pledges across Syria, following the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the end of the 14-year civil war. 

“The coast is shifting from a military geography to a commercial one” comments Benjamin Feve, senior consultant at Karam Shaar Advisory Limited. “Tartus was once the Russian naval foothold; today, it is a concession operated by global port operators”. In August, Moscow agreed to return all civilian infrastructure to the Syrian state and said its military bases will be turned into joint training centers. 

Since he seized power in December 2024, President Ahmad al-Charaa has secured broad international support, notably from U.S. President Donald Trump who called him a “real leader.” Late August, Washington removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, the latest in a series of measures unwinding decades of sanctions on Damascus. 

On the ground, Gulf states are the biggest backers of Syrian reconstruction with billions of announced investments, but few projects have yet materialized, and many in Syria fear the momentum could slip away. 

“High oil prices give Riyadh and Abu Dhabi greater budget flexibility, which is certainly an opportunity for Syria, but not necessarily a fundamental shift,” said Feve. “Gulf capitals are buying an option on Syria’s geography, but trade volumes are only about one-fifth of pre-2011 levels. So, while new activity is real, it remains weak and once the war is over, maybe the Strait of Hormuz will regain its role as a key transit route, and GCC countries will look away from Syria again” 

Despite appearances of restored peace, the Syrian coast remains a tricky place to do business. In 2025, deadly clashes between the new government and allies of Assad killed nearly 1,500 people.