Syria agrees with a French company to operate the Latakia Port container station economy

The General Authority for the Syrian Land and Navy Ports announced today, Wednesday, the signing of a new contract with the French company “CMACGM” to operate the container station in the port of Lattakia.

The authority stated, in an official statement, that the agreement includes the liquidation of the financial receivables resulting from the two parties under the previous contract, in addition to setting new conditions and mechanisms to operate the station. The French shipping and logistical services company has not issued any official comment on the agreement so far.

Negotiations and amendments

A Syrian source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that the talks that preceded the conclusion of the new contract included changes in the distribution of revenues and the duration of the contract, as the Syrian authorities sought to increase their share of revenues compared to the previous contract, in addition to a shorter time frame to rent the station and make technical improvements to operation.

The port of Lattakia is the most important marine portal for Syria, and since 2009 he witnessed the operation of the container station by the “CMCGM”, with a continuous renewal of the contract, the last of which was in October 2024 for 30 years during the era of the head of the ousted regime, Bashar al -Assad .

Changes in the contract

The signing of the new contract comes in light of the political transformations in the country, as the revolution toppled President Bashar al -Assad on December 8 after a kidnapped attack, and a transitional government took over the management of state affairs, which may have affected the conditions for negotiating the new contract.

CMACGM is managed by billionaire Rudolph Saadeh, a French -based French businessman, and other members of his family who has roots in Syria, which reflects an old association between the company and the Syrian market.

This agreement remains an important step in reorganizing the Syrian maritime sector under the new administration, with the continued economic and political challenges facing the country.