The United States has imported its first shipment of Iraqi fuel oil routed through Syria following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid US-Iran hostilities.
Reuters reported on Thursday, July 23, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter and data from Kpler, that three Aframax tankers loaded Iraqi fuel oil at the port of Baniyas in Tartous governorate, western Syria, between June and July for delivery to the US Gulf Coast.
Sources with direct knowledge of operations at the Syrian port told Reuters that the fuel oil was of Iraqi origin.
The first tanker, On Passion, departed Baniyas port on June 17 carrying approximately 716,600 barrels of fuel oil, according to the agency.
Kpler data showed that about 487,600 barrels were unloaded in the Bahamas in mid-July.
The remaining quantity is scheduled for unloading in the US state of Texas later this month.
According to Kpler data, the tanker Nissos Christina loaded approximately 288,500 barrels in Baniyas and departed by July 8. Its cargo is scheduled to be unloaded on the US Gulf Coast in early August.
The tanker Green Warrior loaded approximately 414,400 barrels of fuel oil between mid-July and late July and is expected to reach the United States in the third week of August.
First Shipment to the US via Syria
The first shipment was followed by two additional cargoes, making them the first fuel oil shipments from Syria destined for the United States, according to Kpler.
An engineer at Baniyas port told Reuters that Syria had not exported crude oil or petroleum products for years, except for a single shipment in September 2025. He added that all current shipments exported from Baniyas consist exclusively of Iraqi fuel oil.
Reuters said the United States has imported Iraqi fuel oil directly since March. Data showed that US fuel oil imports generally come from several suppliers, including Mexico, Algeria, and Iraq.
The United States has sought to fill a supply gap caused by the suspension of flows from the Gulf region in the Middle East, while Baniyas port has increased its fuel oil exports in recent months, according to Matt Smith, head of commodity research at Kpler.
Hormuz Closure Revives Exports via Syria
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has revived Iraq’s oil export route through Syrian overland roads to Baniyas port, where the fuel is loaded for shipment outside Syria.
On July 18, the Syrian Ministry of Energy announced the signing of two memoranda of understanding to revive the Iraqi-Syrian pipeline project during meetings held in the United States.
The Syrian Petroleum Company signed the first memorandum with Basra Oil Company to rehabilitate and revive the Haditha-Baniyas Iraqi-Syrian pipeline. The agreement aims to restore a vital corridor for transporting Iraqi oil to Syrian export ports on the Mediterranean Sea, strengthen Syrian-Iraqi cooperation in the energy sector, develop infrastructure connected to the project, and create new opportunities for economic and investment integration between the two countries.
The Syrian Petroleum Company also signed a second memorandum with an international consortium comprising Chevron, UCC Holding, and TI Capital. The agreement aims to begin the technical and financial studies required for the project and establish the plans and implementation framework for rehabilitating the pipeline and its associated facilities in accordance with approved technical standards, ahead of the implementation stages.
According to the Syrian Ministry of Energy, the project is one of the region’s most significant strategic infrastructure projects. Rehabilitation work aims to achieve an operating capacity of approximately 2 million barrels of crude oil per day.
How Syria Could Benefit From Reviving the Iraq-Syria Oil Pipeline
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