500 Daily Tankers at Banias
The Syrian Petroleum Company has raised the number of Iraqi crude oil tankers unloaded each day at the Banias refinery to about 500, in a move it described as aimed at speeding up supplies and lifting operational readiness inside the plant.
The company said in an official statement that the higher tanker count followed a series of technical and engineering upgrades inside the refinery, with further improvements still planned to push efficiency higher.
30% Capacity Gain, 40 Hours Saved
The upgrades raised operational capacity by close to 30% and saved roughly 40 working hours a day, the company said, attributing the gains to a reorganization of unloading routes and a switch to direct pumping into dedicated storage tanks.
The new arrangement, it added, has improved the throughput of trucks at the terminal and the smoothness of work inside the refinery, supporting continuity of production.
Securing Domestic Fuel Supplies
The company framed the change as a step toward stabilizing the domestic supply of petroleum products amid challenges facing Syria's energy sector. It said further technical work was planned to lift production and distribution efficiency in the period ahead.
Iraqi Pipeline Plan to Banias
The refinery announcement comes alongside a wider Iraqi push to reactivate the Syrian export route. Iraq's oil ministry has launched a strategic project to lay a 700-kilometer pipeline from Basra to Haditha, with capacity reaching 2.5 million barrels a day.
The pipeline is intended to revive crude exports through Syria by linking up with the Banias port, alongside other corridors via Turkey and Jordan.
Three Export Corridors
An Iraqi oil ministry spokesman said the project would open exports through three main routes: the Syrian path to Banias, Ceyhan in Turkey, and Aqaba in Jordan.
The pipeline plan and the refinery upgrades sit within a broader Iraqi effort to expand crude export outlets and reduce reliance on traditional corridors.