Russia boosts oil supplies to Syria, data shows

Russia has increased supplies of its oil from the Arctic to Syria, which needs the feedstock for its refineries, according to shipping data cited by an industry source and LSEG data.

Russia has long considered Syria as a key gateway for its trade and military operations in the Middle East and Africa.

Its positions in the country’s west, where it has a naval base in Tartous and Hmeimim air base near the port city of Latakia, have been dealt a blow following the toppling of Moscow-leaning President Bashar al-Assad in December, but Moscow is in talks with Syria’s new administration to keep the bases, the Kremlin said in January.

A tanker hit by US sanctions, Mitzel, loaded some 140,000 metric tons of Russian oil in the Arctic port of Murmansk and is heading to Baniyas port that has already received several cargoes of such oil, according to the source and LSEG.

Tankers Sakina and Aquatica shipped oil from Russia to Syria in March, followed by the Sabina tanker in April, LSEG shipping data showed and traders said. Overall supplies of Russian oil to Syria reached some 350,000 metric tons, or some 2.6 million barrels so far this year.

Russia has to look for alternative buyers of its Arctic oil since the US sanctions in January hit producer Gazprom Neft and the tankers shipping the crude. Russia also supplied diesel to Syria this year, LSEG data showed.

Syria’s refineries will need alternatives to Iranian oil, which made up a significant supply during Assad’s rule but whose deliveries were suspended late last year, leading to a temporary shutdown of the Baniyas refinery in December.

Syria’s oil ministry announced a resumption of operations at Baniyas refinery in April after new oil shipments had been received but also said it was carrying out technical repairs at the site, without detailing the refinery’s current operational capacity.

Gazprom Neft, which produces ARCO and Novy port Arctic oil grades, and the Syrian oil ministry did not respond to requests for comment.