Shipping From to Syria

فتحت أبواب سوريا مجدداً، ولم تعد العقوبات -التي لا يزال الكثيرون يفترضون أنها العائق الرئيسي- تشكل عقبة تذكر. فالتحديات التي تعيق الشحنات حالياً تتعلق بالجوانب التنفيذية، مثل تقييم الجمارك، وشهادات المنشأ، وعمليات المناولة في الموانئ. وإليكم ملخصاً للوضع: بحرياً: يُعد ميناء اللاذقية البوابة الرئيسية للحاويات في سوريا، حيث يتعامل مع أكثر من 95% من حجم الحاويات في البلاد، وفقاً لمجموعة "موانئ أبوظبي" (AD Ports Group). أما ميناء طرطوس، وهو الميناء الثاني، فيخضع حالياً لامتياز تشغيلي تديره شركة "دي بي وورلد" (DP World). جواً: يُعتبر مطار دمشق الدولي (DAM) المطار الرئيسي للشحن، مع استخدام بيروت كوجهة وسيطة للوصول إلى نطاق أوسع. وتتولى شركة "كارغوجيت" (Cargojet) إدارة هذه العمليات. برياً: تُعد تركيا (عبر معبر باب الهوى) والأردن (عبر معبر نصيب) الممرين الرئيسيين لحركة الشاحنات. الجمارك: دخل قانون جمارك عام جديد حيز التنفيذ في عام 2026. وغالباً ما تنشأ التأخيرات بسبب نزاعات حول تقييم البضائع، أو عدم توثيق شهادات المنشأ، أو نقص وثائق السلامة الغذائية. ويتولى فريق التخليص التابع لشركة "كارغوجيت" إنجاز إجراءات الاستيراد والتصدير. الجهة المسؤولة عن الشحن: توفر شركة "كارغوجيت" -التي تعمل في مجال شحن البضائع من وإلى سوريا منذ عام 1987- خدمات الشحن البحري والجوي، ونقل الحاويات من ميناء اللاذقية، وشحن المواد الغذائية السورية، بالإضافة إلى خدمات التخليص الجمركي. لماذا تبدو خريطة الشحن في سوريا مختلفة في عام 2026؟ على مدى العقد الماضي، كان الرد على سؤال "هل يمكنني الشحن إلى سوريا؟" مباشراً: على الأرجح لا. لكن الوضع تغير بسرعة؛ فبعد سقوط الحكومة في ديسمبر 2024، بدأت منظومة العقوبات الغربية بالتفكك تدريجياً. فقد ألغت الولايات المتحدة جوهر برنامج عقوباتها على سوريا بموجب الأمر التنفيذي رقم 14312 في نهاية يونيو 2025، وألغت لوائح العقوبات المفروضة على سوريا، كما أبطلت "قانون قيصر" في ديسمبر 2025، وأزالت اسم سوريا من قائمة الدول الراعية للإرهاب في أغسطس 2026. ومن جانبها، علّقت المفوضية الأوروبية تدابيرها في فبراير 2025، ثم رفعت معظمها في مايو من العام نفسه، قبل أن تعيد تفعيل اتفاقية التعاون بين الاتحاد الأوروبي وسوريا في مايو 2026، وفقاً للجدول الزمني للمجلس الأوروبي بشأن سوريا. اقرأ ذلك بعناية؛ فالحقيقة كما هي أهم من العناوين البراقة. إن تخفيف العقوبات لا يعني غياب المخاطر؛ فالعقوبات الموجهة لا تزال سارية على أفراد وكيانات محددة، ولا تزال سوريا مدرجة ضمن "القائمة الرمادية" لمجموعة العمل المالي (FATF)، كما أن قيود التصدير على بعض السلع ذات المنشأ الأمريكي لا تزال قائمة، حتى بعد رفع برنامج العقوبات الشامل عن البلاد. لذا، لم يعد السؤال "هل هذا مسموح به؟"، بل أصبح: "تحقق من هوية الطرف المقابل، واضبط الوثائق بدقة متناهية، ثم باشر العمل". هذه مهمة وكلاء الشحن، وليست مهمة المحامين. وتكمن الأهمية التجارية في حجم العمليات؛ إذ يقدر البنك الدولي تكلفة إعادة إعمار سوريا بنحو 216 مليار دولار أمريكي، مقابل 108 مليارات دولار كأضرار مادية مباشرة، حيث كانت البنية التحتية هي الأكثر تضرراً. وتعد عملية إعادة الإعمار في جوهرها قضية لوجستية؛ فمواد مثل الأسمنت، والصلب، والآلات، والمعدات الطبية، والمولدات الكهربائية، كلها تصل عبر السفن والطائرات والشاحنات. الشحن البحري: اللاذقية وطرطوس، بوابات الحاويات إذا كانت شحناتك تُقاس بالحاويات، فإن ميناء اللاذقية هو الوجهة الأهم. وتصف مجموعة موانئ أبوظبي (AD Ports Group) محطة اللاذقية الدولية للحاويات (LICT) بأنها البوابة البحرية الرئيسية لسوريا، حيث تتعامل مع أكثر من 95% من حجم الحاويات في البلاد. ومن المخطط رفع طاقتها الاستيعابية من 250 ألف حاوية نمطية (TEU) إلى 625 ألف حاوية نمطية بحلول نهاية عام 2026. وفي نوفمبر 2025، استحوذت مجموعة موانئ أبوظبي على حصة قدرها 20% في المحطة بقيمة 22 مليون دولار أمريكي، إلى جانب شركة "سي إم إيه سي جي إم" (CMA CGM) التي تتولى تشغيل المحطة منذ عام 2009. أما ميناء طرطوس، وهو الميناء الثاني، فقد شهد مساراً مختلفاً؛ فبعد أن أنهت الحكومة المؤقتة عقد المشغل الروسي في أوائل عام 2025، وقعت شركة "دي بي ورلد" (DP World) اتفاقية امتياز لمدة 30 عاماً بنظام "البناء والتشغيل ونقل الملكية" (BOT)، وتعهدت باستثمار 800 مليون دولار أمريكي في بنية تحتية جديدة، ومعدات مناولة، وأنظمة رقمية. لذا، ينبغي التعامل مع أرقام الطاقة الاستيعابية المعلنة على أنها خطط مستقبلية وليست قدرة تشغيلية فعلية قائمة؛ كما يجب التأكد من جداول وصول السفن الحالية قبل تأكيد أي حجز للشحن. بالنسبة للمُصدِّرين، تكمن التفاصيل العملية في ما يحدث بين رصيف الميناء والمستودع. تغطي خدمات "كارغوجيت" (Cargojet) في ميناء اللاذقية عمليات نقل الحاويات عبر كل من مينائي اللاذقية وبيروت، وذلك باستخدام أسطول شاحنات خاص بالشركة مخصص حصرياً للصادرات السورية، مع تنسيق دقيق بين الميناءين لتقليل فترات الانتظار. ويظل ميناء بيروت حاضراً كخيار بديل؛ ففي حال ازدحام ميناء اللاذقية أو عدم توقف خط ملاحي معين فيه، يمكن نقل البضائع عبر لبنان ومن ثم إدخالها براً. وتصف "كارغوجيت" خدماتها المينائية بأنها "خدمات متخصصة لنقل الحاويات عبر مينائي اللاذقية وبيروت، باستخدام أسطولنا الخاص من الشاحنات المكرس حصرياً للصادرات السورية" (كارغوجيت، خدمات ميناء اللاذقية). الشحن الجوي: مطار دمشق وأهمية السرعة يتفوق الشحن البحري من حيث التكلفة، بينما يبرز الشحن الجوي كخيار أمثل عندما تكون البضائع عاجلة، أو ذات قيمة عالية، أو سريعة التلف. يقع مطار دمشق الدولي (رمز الاتحاد الدولي للنقل الجوي "إياتا": DAM، ورمز المنظمة الدولية للطيران المدني "إيكاو": OSDI) على بعد حوالي 25 كيلومتراً جنوب شرق وسط مدينة دمشق. وقد استأنف المطار نشاطه مع قائمة متزايدة من شركات الطيران، تشمل -وفقاً لموقعه الرسمي- الخطوط الجوية السورية، والخطوط الجوية القطرية، وطيران الجزيرة، والخطوط الجوية الكويتية، والاتحاد للطيران، والعربية للطيران (أبوظبي). كما عاد مطارا حلب ودير الزور للعمل أيضاً. وتدير "كارغوجيت" عمليات الشحن الجوي عبر مطار دمشق بالاستعانة بشركات الطيران العاملة هناك، مع اعتماد مطار بيروت كمسار إضافي، مما يتيح -على حد تعبير الشركة- "شحن مجموعة واسعة من البضائع إلى وجهات حول العالم". وتضيف "كارغوجيت"...

Syria's doors are open again, and the thing most people still assume is the problem (sanctions) largely isn't. What stops shipments now is execution: customs valuation, certificates and port handling. Here's the short version:

• Sea: Lattakia is Syria's container gateway, handling over 95% of the country's container volumes, per AD Ports Group. Tartus is the second port, now under a DP World concession.

• Air: Damascus International Airport (DAM) is the main cargo airport, with Beirut as a common onward route for wider reach. See how Cargojet runs it.

• Land: Turkey (Bab al-Hawa) and Jordan (Nassib) are the two big truck corridors.

• Customs: a new General Customs Law landed in 2026. Valuation disputes, un-legalised certificates of origin and missing food-safety papers are the usual holds. Cargojet's clearance team handles import and export procedures.

• Who to move it with: Cargojet, which says it has forwarded freight in and out of Syria since 1987, runs sea and air freight, Lattakia Port container trucking, Syrian foodstuffs shipping and customs clearance.

Why Syria's shipping map looks different in 2026

For most of the last decade, the question "can I ship there?" had a blunt answer: probably not. That changed fast. After the government fell in December 2024, the Western sanctions architecture came down piece by piece.

The US revoked the core of its Syria programme with Executive Order 14312 at the end of June 2025, removed the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, repealed the Caesar Act in December 2025 and rescinded Syria's State Sponsor of Terrorism designation in August 2026. The EU suspended its measures in February 2025 and lifted most of them that May, then restored the EU-Syria Cooperation Agreement in May 2026, per the European Council's Syria timeline.

Read that carefully, because the honest version matters more than the headline. Sanctions relief is not the same as risk-free. Targeted sanctions still apply to named people and entities, Syria remains on the FATF grey list, and export controls on some US-origin goods survive even where the country programme was lifted. So the job shifted from "is it allowed?" to "screen the counterparty, get the papers exactly right, and move." That's a forwarder's job, not a lawyer's.

The reason it matters commercially is the size of what's moving. The World Bank puts Syria's reconstruction cost at US$216bn, against US$108bn of direct physical damage, with infrastructure the worst hit. Reconstruction is a freight story: cement, steel, machinery, medical equipment and generators all arrive by ship, plane and truck.

Sea freight: Lattakia and Tartus, the container gateways

If your cargo is measured in containers, Lattakia is the port that matters. The Latakia International Container Terminal (LICT) is, in AD Ports Group's words, Syria's primary maritime gateway, handling over 95% of the country's container volumes, with capacity planned to rise from 250,000 TEU to 625,000 TEU by the end of 2026. AD Ports bought a 20% stake in LICT for US$22m in November 2025, alongside CMA CGM, which has operated the terminal since 2009.

Tartus, the second port, went the other way: after the interim government ended the Russian operator's contract in early 2025, DP World signed a 30-year build-operate-transfer concession and pledged US$800m for new infrastructure, handling equipment and digital systems. Treat the headline capacity numbers as announced plans, not delivered throughput, and confirm current vessel schedules before you commit a booking.

For exporters, the practical detail is what happens between the quay and the warehouse. Cargojet's Lattakia Port Services cover container transport through both Lattakia and Beirut using the company's own truck fleet, described as dedicated to Syrian exports, with coordination across the two ports to cut waiting times. Beirut stays in the picture as a pressure valve: when Lattakia is congested or a particular line doesn't call there, cargo can move through Lebanon and cross by road.

Cargojet describes its port offering as "specialized container transport services through Lattakia and Beirut ports, using our own dedicated fleet of trucks tailored exclusively for Syrian exports" (Cargojet, Lattakia Port Services).

Air freight: Damascus Airport and the case for speed

Sea freight wins on cost; air wins when the cargo is urgent, high-value or perishable. Damascus International Airport (IATA code DAM, ICAO OSDI) sits roughly 25 km southeast of central Damascus and reopened to a growing list of carriers including Syrian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Jazeera Airways, Kuwait Airways, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, per the airport's official site. Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor are operating again too.

Cargojet's Damascus Airport Services run air freight through Damascus using the carriers available there, with Beirut Airport as a second route "enabling us to ship a wide range of goods to destinations worldwide", in the company's words. Cargojet says its team handles the specifics air cargo punishes you for getting wrong: fast handling, secure packaging, and coordination with both airlines and customs.

The trade-off is the usual one, sharpened by Syria's paperwork. Air gets you a short transit and a high per-kilo price; it also puts your shipment in front of the same customs authority as a container, just faster and with less time to fix a bad document. If a certificate is missing, air freight simply gets expensive quicker.

Syrian foodstuffs: the export that punishes sloppy paperwork

Food is where Syria's export story lives, and where the documentation trap is deepest. In 2024 Syria exported US$1.11bn against US$3.87bn of imports, and the single biggest export line was pure olive oil at US$310m, followed by calcium phosphates, nuts, raw cotton and spices, per OEC's Syria profile. Olive oil production was about 95,000 tonnes in 2025, per USDA figures reported by The Syria Report, with a weaker 2026 season expected.

Two lessons for foodstuff traders, both of which cost money to learn the hard way:

• Origin rules follow you across borders. Syria has restricted olive oil exports before, with an export ban taking effect in September 2023 after a poor harvest. Export policy can move with the season, so check the current position on your commodity before you price a deal.

• Food certificates are non-negotiable. Phytosanitary certificates for plant products, health or food-safety certification, and halal certification for certain goods like meat are standard expectations, and a packing list that omits manufacture and expiry dates is a common hold, per UNRWA's Syria shipping instructions and Croner-i's Syria profile.

Cargojet runs a dedicated Syrian Foodstuffs Shipper service for exactly this traffic, covering what the company calls "packaged goods or bulk products", and says it maintains "strong relationships with top foodstuff manufacturers across Syria". Diaspora businesses shipping food to the region, and Syrian producers exporting out, run into the same wall: the goods are fine, the paperwork is what stalls.

Customs clearance: where shipments succeed or stall

Customs is the part of the journey that decides whether you hit your delivery window. Syria replaced its 1961 customs law with a new General Customs Law (Presidential Decree No. 109/2026), paired with a harmonised tariff schedule from 1 June 2026, and in October 2026 a further decree cut duties on renewable-energy equipment, medical equipment and industrial machinery parts. Customs is administered by the General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs.

Realistic timelines, from an industry clearance guide: three to seven days is typical, stretching to around two weeks when laboratory testing is triggered. Containers that sit past their free time accrue demurrage of roughly US$30-80 a day, which is why a delay is not a paperwork problem, it's a cash problem.

The five or six reasons shipments hold up are consistent and almost all avoidable:

• Valuation disputes. Customs works from reference price lists, and a declared value below the reference gets adjusted upward, triggering reassessment.

• Un-legalised certificates of origin. A CofO that hasn't been stamped by a recognised chamber is a stop.

• Missing commodity certificates. Phytosanitary, halal, or health/CFS papers for the goods that need them.

• Packing-list gaps. No manufacturer name, no manufacture or expiry dates.

• Sanctions-list hits. A consignee or beneficial owner on a US, EU or UK list can stop release even though the broad Syria programme is gone.

• Weak trade facilitation. The UN's 2025 survey scores Syria at 49.46% overall on trade facilitation, with formalities at 29.17%, reflecting manual checks and limited risk-management systems.

This is the layer Cargojet's Custom Clearance service is built for. In the company's own description, it handles import and export procedures, tariff classification and required documentation, and represents shipments "with local authorities", framed around avoiding fines and delays. For food and general cargo alike, the value of a forwarder here is simple: someone who files the declaration correctly the first time, in the importer's name, through a licensed broker.

Freight forwarding and logistics: what a forwarder in Syria actually does

A freight forwarder is the party that assembles the whole move: buying space on a vessel or aircraft, preparing documents, clearing customs, and coordinating everything between the factory door and the consignee. In Syria that coordination is the hard part, because a single shipment can touch a port, a customs post, a truck fleet and a land border in the same week.

Cargojet's Freight Forwarders service covers consolidation and shipping with door-to-door solutions and a network of forwarders and customs agents; its Logistics Services add round-the-clock support and, in the company's words, "proactively handle all shipment requirements before the goods arrive and during customs clearance at the destination". Those pre-arrival steps are where good forwarders separate themselves, because they're the difference between a container released on day two and one burning demurrage on day nine.

Choosing sea, air or road comes down to what the cargo is and when it has to land:

When you're comparing forwarders, weigh four things, and ask for specifics, not adjectives:

1. Real port presence. Do they operate at Lattakia or Tartus themselves, or subcontract every move?

2. In-house customs capability. A forwarder who files clearances beats one who hands you to a third-party broker you can't see.

3. Commodity experience. Foodstuffs, chemicals and machinery each carry different certificate requirements.

4. Sanctions screening. With targeted sanctions and the FATF grey list still live, a forwarder who screens counterparties protects your cargo and your bank relationship.

How to ship into or out of Syria: a practical sequence

1. Confirm what the goods need. Certificates, licences and any special approvals, by commodity and by destination.

2. Screen the counterparty. Check the consignee, the beneficial owner and your logistics chain against current US, EU and UK lists.

3. Pick the mode and route. Sea via Lattakia or Tartus, air via Damascus, or road via the borders that fit your lane.

4. Get documents right before the goods move. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin (legalised), bill of lading or air waybill, and commodity certificates, in the right order and consistent with each other.

5. Clear, then move. File the declaration through a licensed broker, pay duties and fees, clear inspection, then release to inland transport.

Most of the pain in this list sits at steps 1 and 4, and both are the forwarder's job to get right before anything is loaded.

Cargojet: freight forwarding in Syria since 1987

Cargojet says it has been moving goods into and out of Syria since 1987, and its services map onto the whole journey described above: sea freight through Lattakia Port, air freight through Damascus Airport, a dedicated Syrian foodstuffs shipping operation, customs clearance for imports and exports, and logistics coordination around all of it. For exporters and importers who need one counterparty across the port, the airport and the customs post, that combination is the point.

Whether you're a foodstuff trader shipping out of Syria, a manufacturer bringing in machinery, or a diaspora business sending goods to the region, you can send them your shipment details or use their Booking and Tracking tools to start a move and follow it.

How do I ship goods into or out of Syria in 2026?

Pick the mode that fits the cargo and the deadline: sea freight via Lattakia or Tartus for heavy or non-urgent loads, air freight via Damascus Airport for urgent or high-value goods, or road via the Turkish and Jordanian borders for regional trade. Before anything moves, confirm the certificates your commodity needs and screen the counterparty. A forwarder such as Cargojet handles the booking, documents and clearance end to end.

Is it legal to ship to Syria now?

The broad Western sanctions that once blocked most trade with Syria have largely been lifted: the US revoked its core programme in 2025 and repealed the Caesar Act in December 2025, and the EU lifted most measures in May 2025. Targeted sanctions on named people and entities remain, and Syria is still on the FATF grey list, so screen the consignee and beneficial owner before every shipment. See the US State Department's Syria sanctions page for the current position.

How long does customs clearance take in Syria?

Three to seven days is typical, stretching to around two weeks when a shipment is pulled for laboratory testing. Delays are usually avoidable and come from valuation disputes, un-legalised certificates of origin or missing food-safety papers, and past the free period containers accrue demurrage of roughly US$30-80 a day. Cargojet's customs clearance service handles import and export procedures, tariff classification and the paperwork.
 

What documents do I need to export from or import into Syria?

Expect a commercial invoice, a packing list (with manufacturer and expiry dates for goods that carry shelf life), a legalised certificate of origin, a bill of lading or air waybill, and any commodity certificates such as phytosanitary or halal. The documents must be consistent with each other and processed in the right order. A forwarder that files clearances in-house, like Cargojet, catches mismatches before they become holds.

Which Syrian port handles the most container shipping?

Lattakia is Syria's main container gateway, handling over 95% of the country's container volumes, with Tartus as the second port under a DP World concession. For exporters, Cargojet's Lattakia Port Services move containers through both Lattakia and Beirut using a dedicated truck fleet for Syrian exports.