Syrian Minister of Transportation voiced on Tuesday optimism over the country's ports future, stressing that Syria has always been seeking to develop them. "Volume of commodities via Tartous port have doubled to reach 11 million tons in 2005, while Lattakia port got 7 million tons of goods at the same year,” Minister Makram Obeid was quoted as saying by SANA.
Obeid noted the need to upgrade the ports infrastructure as well as to improve the situation of containers yards in addition to the quay of containers.
There are three main ports in Syria, Lattkia, Tartous and Banias.
About two years ago, the European Investment Bank lent Syria 50 million euros to modernize the port of Tartous. The EC said in a statement the loan was to cover rehabilitation of a quay and the main breakwater, dredging, and construction of two quays for passenger and cargo terminals at the Mediterranean port.
