DP World Tartus Port Development

Concession Agreement

DP World is to develop and operate Tartus Port under a 30-year concession signed with Syria's General Authority for Land and Sea Ports. Under the agreement, DP World will invest $800 million over the concession period to modernize the port's infrastructure and position it as a regional trade hub linking Southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Signing and Project Structure

The agreement was signed on 13 July 2025 at the People's Palace in Damascus, in the presence of President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and Group CEO of DP World, signed for the company, and Qutaiba Ahmed Badawi signed as Chairman of the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports. According to SANA, it completed a memorandum of understanding that the two parties had signed in May 2025.

The project follows the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model and covers new infrastructure, modern cargo-handling equipment and advanced digital systems to improve efficiency at the port's container and general cargo terminals.

At a press conference after the signing, Badawi said, according to SANA, that the 30-year term can later be renewed by mutual agreement, and that the investment is divided into three phases of $200 million, $200 million and $400 million, with no binding timetable between them.

Stated Objectives

According to the announcement and the statements of both parties, the port is intended to serve as a trade gateway that supports supply chains and Syria's economic reintegration into regional and global trade routes. DP World describes Tartus as Syria's second-largest port, and its location complements existing trade routes via the Suez Canal and the Bosphorus.

DP World also said it would look, with local partners, at developing free zones, inland logistics hubs and transit corridors to support economic diversification.

Current Status

As of August 2026, the project is under implementation: DP World took over operations at the port in November 2025, and on 17 August 2026 it announced that delivery of three mobile harbour cranes was complete. The company says dredging to deepen the harbour will start soon and that refurbishment of the quay walls is due to be finished by the end of 2027. Details are in the dated updates below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is developing Tartus Port?

DP World, under a 30-year concession agreement signed in July 2025 with Syria's General Authority for Land and Sea Ports.

What is the value and duration of the deal?

The concession runs for 30 years and includes a planned investment of $800 million (up to AED 3 billion), divided according to SANA into three phases of $200 million, $200 million and $400 million.

What operating model does the project use?

The Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, under which DP World develops and operates the port for the 30-year concession period. The project covers new infrastructure, modern cargo-handling equipment and advanced digital systems.

What is the stated purpose of the project?

To modernize the port's infrastructure and position Tartus as a regional trade hub linking Southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Update, 12 November 2025: DP World begins operations at the port

On 12 November 2025, DP World announced that it had begun operations at Tartus Port following the formal handover from Syria's General Authority for Land and Sea Ports, and that it had put the new harbour tug Al Fath into service. The tug is 22 metres long, with a 50-tonne bollard pull and firefighting water cannons.

The company described the concession, with a planned investment of up to AED 3 billion (US$800 million), as one of the largest international investments in Syria's logistics sector in recent years. It said it was carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the port's equipment, quays, yards and warehouses to draw up a detailed redevelopment roadmap. In the immediate term, work would focus on dredging the access channels, basins and berths to their design depths and on rehabilitating and replacing existing handling equipment; in the medium term, the programme would upgrade the port's infrastructure and superstructure, expand handling and storage capacity, and add new container and non-container facilities.

Fahad Al Banna, appointed CEO of DP World Tartus, said the company aims to build a modern, digitally enabled port that positions Tartus as "a key trade hub in the Eastern Mediterranean".

Sources

• DP World, 12 November 2025
• Dubai Media Office (Arabic), 12 November 2025

Update, 17 August 2026: three mobile harbour cranes delivered

The project has entered actual execution. On 1 July 2026, DP World announced that the first of three new Mobile Harbour Cranes (MHCs) had arrived at the Port of Tartus on 29 June, describing it as the first major investment under the concession, with the other two due by August. Each crane can handle about 2 million tonnes of cargo a year. On 17 August 2026, the company announced that delivery of all three cranes was complete, and estimated that they raise the port's cargo-handling capacity by approximately 40 per cent, shorten vessel turnaround times and broaden its ability to handle containerised, bulk and breakbulk cargo.

DP World also set out the next equipment phase: forklift trucks and reach stackers later in 2026, nine light-duty mobile harbour cranes during 2027 and early 2028, and a new quay crane in 2028. It said dredging to deepen the harbour would begin soon and that the refurbishment of the port's quay walls should be finished by the end of 2027. Fahad Al Banna, CEO of DP World Tartus, said the delivery "reflects our long-term commitment" to supporting Syria's economic recovery.

Earlier, on 14 May 2026, DP World Chairman Essa Kazim met Qutaiba Ahmed Badawi, Chairman of Syria's General Authority for Borders and Customs, in Damascus to discuss accelerating the port's development plans under the 30-year concession and the $800 million investment.

Sources

• DP World, 14 May 2026
• DP World, 1 July 2026
• Sky News Arabia, 1 July 2026
• DP World, 17 August 2026
• Syria TV, 18 August 2026