Iraqi Fuel at Banias
Tanker convoys carrying Iraqi fuel oil are arriving in steadily growing numbers at Syria's Banias refinery on the Mediterranean coast, moving along the Banias–Tartous road corridor under tightened logistical procedures. The flow has been continuous since 1 April 2026, and Tartous authorities say the rhythm has accelerated as border and unloading bottlenecks were eased.
Expanded Unloading Yards
Tartous Governorate's Director of Energy Services, Amjad Murtada, said the handling of border-crossing entries and unloading sequences has been reorganised to shorten waiting times for Iraqi tankers. New unloading yards have been opened inside the Banias complex itself to absorb the inflow without backing up traffic at the refinery gate.
Murtada said the operational changes also support transit shipments moving onward to international markets through Syrian ports, alongside cargoes destined for the refinery.
From Al-Tanf to the Coast
Iraqi drivers described the Syrian leg of the journey as orderly, with security patrols accompanying the convoys around the clock from the al-Tanf crossing on the eastern border to Banias on the western coast.
The road from al-Tanf to Banias shows stable security conditions, with patrols accompanying on a 24-hour cycle.
The remark was attributed to truck driver Hussein Karim Kazem.
Refining and Transit Stakes
Sustained fuel-oil deliveries from Iraq are aimed at raising operational efficiency at the Banias refinery, while the steady flow of convoys reinforces the use of Syrian territory as a transit route for Iraqi exports heading to international markets through coastal ports.
Six Weeks of Flows
The convoys have moved across Syrian territory continuously since 1 April 2026, when the first Iraqi shipments entered the country. The operational expansion announced on 6 May 2026 is intended to keep tankers moving through the corridor and into the refinery without the waiting times that built up earlier in the rollout.