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Source: IA-generated |
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Plan B to get oil out of the Gulf |
Facing the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq opted for an alternate solution. Indeed, 90% of its revenues depend on oil export. Early April, the latter signed a deal with Syria to export its crude. Crude is loaded on trucks in the oil fields of Bassorah and Kirkuk. It is then transported by road to the Syrian port of Baniyas. With this access on the Mediterranean Sea, Iraqi oil can be exported to Europe. The UAE and Kuwait followed the same process, using Syria as a transit corridor. |
This alternative is no long-term solution. Truck drivers go on a 12-day journey without the basic facilities for sleep and hygiene. It also leads to more traffic on the roads. The border in Al Tanf is clogged by oil trucks. Plus, over 10 thousand truckloads are needed to fill just one VLCC (very large crude carriers). |
But other viable options are placed back on the table. Existing facilities and projects are discussed to use Syria as a key transit hub for global energy flows. Syria aims to become an alternate route for energy and goods transports. This would help the country rebuilt and accelerate its national recovery. |
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The REAL Reason Trump Is Invading Iran |
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For a moment…
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Discover the reason here. |
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Projects for Syria |
Syria holds a strategic position to that end. It borders Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey. It has a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. Plus, major ports sit on its coast: |
Lattakia (French group CMA-CGM and Syria signed a deal to modernize and exploit the port), Tartus (Russia’s historic influence), Baniyas.
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Syria’s position grants it access to Europe via sea or Turkey. The state aims to benefit from that geostrategic position. The U.S. special envoy to Syria, Tom Barracks, follows the same objectives. The latter wants the country to become a key energy corridor. The plan does not focus on road transport. It aims to revive and expand a huge network to connect the Gulf to Mediterranean ports and European markets. |
Four Seas Project. This is an old project. It was an initiative between Syria and Turkey in 2009. The goal was to diversify energy routes and enhance trade integration among regional states. It aimed at connecting four seas: |
The Mediterranean Sea, The Black Sea, The Caspian Sea, The Arabian Gulf.
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The project was abandoned due to the Assad regime’s shift toward Iran. But it is now revived and under discussion. |
The 4+1 Project. This is Syria’s national vision. It seeks to deepen and expand the Four Seas project. It aims to position Syria as a regional hub for energy, food and trade distribution. The framework introduced an integrated system that includes: |
Oil and gas pipelines, LNG export infrastructures, A high-speed railway connecting Syria to Saudi Arabia along the historic Hedjaz railway, Food security corridors between Turkey and Syria, Build new export routes and restore over a thousand kilometers of network infrastructures in northeast Syria.
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With this project, many pipelines would be revived, built, or expanded. |
Trans-Arabian pipeline: redirect oil from northeast Saudi Arabia to Syrian ports of Lattakia and Baniyas, Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline: revive it (estimated cost of 4,5 billion USD), Qatar-Turkey gas pipeline: back on the table to transport gas from Qatar’s north fields through Jordan and Syria to Turkey for European markets, Arab Gas pipeline: extend it from Egypt to Turkey through Syria, Azerbaijan-Kilis-Aleppo gas pipeline: extend it to the coast.
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These projects are technically feasible. But many challenges must be tackled to sustain them. |
Challenges |
Syria suffered a long war. It lacks infrastructures. Networks must be restored. It also needs more facilities on its coastline. This leads to an increased need for financing. But also, a need for stability and security. Such projects and the associated financing require security guarantees. This is still uncertain in a divided society. Another issue is the shortage of skilled technical labor. After years of conflicts, many engineers left the country. A lot of them fled to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These projects would need their return along global expertise. |
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There are increased risks to maritime chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz or Bab El-Mandeb. It becomes a strategic necessity to develop other routes. Overland alternatives are more and more appealing. The goal is to ensure global trade’s security. |
Decoding geopolitics isn’t a job. It’s survival. |
Joy |
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