The Tartous Port Authority is responsible for managing the Port of Tartous. This public company is responsible for operating the port and its facilities.

In 2008, the Port of Tartous received 2776 vessels carrying 12.9 million tons of cargo, including 10.7 million tons of imports and 2.2 million tons of exports, and 785 cruise passengers.

The major cargoes handled at the Port of Tartous included metals (3 million tons), corn (2 million tons), phosphate (1.8 million tons), and cereals (1.5 million tons). Other important cargo groups included cement (951 thousand tons), marble (826.9 thousand tons), sugar (634.5 thousand tons), foodstuffs (622.4 thousand tons), wood (489.3 thousand tons), cars (223.3 thousand tons), oils (201.3 thousand tons), fertilizers (143.3 thousand tons), and chemicals (120.7 thousand tons). Cargoes less than one hundred thousand tons included containers, sulfur, animals, iron, coal coke, equipment, and others. The Port of Tartous handled 41.6 thousand TEUs of containerized cargo in 2008, including 21.5 thousand TEUs of imports and 20 thousand tons of exports.

The Port of Tartous covers 300 hectares, including 180 hectares of land and 120 hectares of water surface. Protected by a main breakwater of 2650 meters and a secondary breakwater of 1620 meters, the entrance channel to the Port of Tartous is 200 meters wide and 14.5 meters deep. The port contains three main piers for most cargoes as well as a pier for handling phosphates and a berth for sulfur. The total length of berths in the Port of Tartous is 6400 meters.

The quays in the Port of Tartous are made of concrete blocks topped with a reinforced concrete layer at two meters above sea level. The port contains 22 berths handling a wide variety of cargoes.

Pier A at the Port of Tartous contains three quays and six warehouses for storing general cargo. It is also served by a rail line along the berths. The grain silo quay is 800 meters long with alongside depths from 4 to ten meters. The western quay is 160 meters long with alongside depth of 10 meters, and the northern quay is 770 meters long with alongside depths from 4 to 12 meters. Pier A's grain silos have capacity for 100 thousand tons of grains, and there are open yards between the storage warehouses for temporary storage of cargo.

The Port of Tartous' Pier B contains two quays. The southern quay is 890 meters long with alongside depths from 4 to 12 meters. The quay contains a dedicated berth with alongside depth of 9 meters for roll-on/roll-off vessels. The northern quay is dedicated to handling containers. It is 540 meters long with alongside depths from 12 to 13 meters, and it includes a roll-on/roll-off berth at the eastern end of the quay. A concrete yard extends the length of the pier for container storage. Pier B has capacity for about 975 thousand tons of cargo per year.

Pier C's southern quay is 660 meters long with alongside depths from 12 to 13 meters. This Port of Tartous Pier contains a roll-on/roll-off berth, and it can accommodate vessels to 60 thousand DWT. The Pier C yards are equipped with rail lines.

The Port of Tartous contains a total of 790 thousand square meters of well-lit yards for handling and storage of cargo. The yards include 496 thousand square meters of asphalt-paved yards and 294 thousand square meters of concrete yards. The fenced asphalt yard is located near berth No. 9 and has capacity for about two thousand small cars. The concrete yards include 152 thousand square meters for both normal and refrigerated containers.

Warehouses in the Port of Tartous include a consolidation shed covering 15 thousand square meters that is located near the container yard and can accommodate both containers and other types of cargo. The Port of Tartous' specialized warehouses include a 1.5 thousand square meter warehouse for cooled foodstuffs and vegetables with capacity for one thousand tons of cargo. A warehouse for temporary storage of explosive materials is isolated within the port property and surrounded by an earthen hill. There is also an agricultural quarantine warehouse with a sterilization hall.

The Port of Tartous' grain silos have capacity for 100 thousand tons of grain. They are equipped with the latest sterilization and protection equipment. The grain silo berth as a depth of 12 meters and can accommodate vessels to 50 thousand DWT. Receiving grains coming from inside Syria for export, the silos have capacity to discharge 400 tons per hour, and the silo plant can load/unload vessels at a rate of 400 tons per hour.

The phosphate silos at the Port of Tartous have 22 cells with total capacity for 88 thousand tons. The phosphate terminal berth is 270 meters long with alongside depth of 11 meters.

In late 2006, International Container Terminal Services Inc. entered into a 10-year agreement with the Port of Tartous to operate the Tartous Container Terminal. The terminal covers an area of 25 hectares and contains a container freight station of 1.5 hectares. The quay at the container terminal is 540 meters long with alongside depths from 12 to 13 meters, and the terminal is equipped with 400 reefer plugs for refrigerated containers.

The Port of Tartous has several projects underway to improve and expand its facilities. These projects include two new berths. One of the quays is 266 meters long with alongside depth of 11 meters, and the other is 470 meters long with alongside depth of 15 meters. The longer quay will contain a 35-meter wide roll-on/roll-off berth. The quays will also have a yard area of about 50 thousand square meters. The projects include the construction of a new northern entrance for the Port of Tartous.

The Port of Tartous is also constructing a tourist complex to cover an area of about six thousand square meters. The complex will include a hotel and conference facilities, ample parking, trade-show rooms, and amenities like restaurants.

New grain silos will be added in the Port of Tartous north of the current consolidation shed. Adding about 700 square meters, the new silos will add capacity for 100 thousand tons of grain.

Another current Port of Tartous project is the addition of central laboratories of about 3 thousand square meters that will contain four dedicated labs for human and animal foods, chemicals, minerals, and construction materials.

Review and History    Port Commerce    Cruising and Travel    Satellite Map    Contact Information