Damascus – The General Authority for Land and Maritime Ports in Syria signed an agreement to develop and operate the port of Lattakia with the French CMA CGM as part of a plan to advance the reality of Syrian ports and improve its operational efficiency.
The Syrian Authority said that the period of the agreement is 30 years, which is the internationally approved period for such a type of investment, to ensure economic feasibility and achieve the desired development goals, indicating that the French company will start during this period by pumping initial investments worth 30 million euros (33.9 million dollars) during the first year, allocated to the development of infrastructure and superstructure, maintenance of current equipment and sidewalks, in addition to the introduction of operating systems Modern technology adopted by the company in other global ports, and in the following three years it will be pumped in additional investments of up to 200 million euros (226 million dollars).
She pointed out that the agreement gives the French company responsible for managing and operating the container station, while the state reserves the right to oversight and evaluate, and all national sovereignty rights remain entirely reserved within the legal framework regulating marine investment contracts.
The agreement falls within the provisions of the Syrian Investment Law, with the reference to the International Chamber of Commerce in London for conflicts, which reflects international confidence and enhances the legal reliability of the contract.
Upward mechanism
According to the Maritime Authority, an ascending mechanism was established to distribute profits, as the proportion of the state will rise from the revenue as the size of the handling and the number of containers increases. According to the agreement, the state’s share begins at a certain level, and then gradually rise until it reaches 70%, compared to 30% for the operating company, and that all operating expenditures will be from the company’s responsibility, ensuring the maximum economic benefit of the state.
In the context, the director of relations at the authority, Mazen Alloush, stressed in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net that the importance of the agreement lies in that it will bring huge investments during the first years, which will contribute directly to improving maritime infrastructure and raising the efficiency of the port operations, indicating that the agreement will enhance Syria’s competitiveness in the maritime transport sector, and it is expected that cooperation will contribute to creating job opportunities, improving productivity, supporting the export sector And import.
He stressed that all operations will take place under the supervision of the state and according to the laws in force, without granting any exceptional operational privileges to the French company, explaining that the work will depend on the Syrian cadres, with the implementation of training and qualification programs that adopt the latest operational systems.
Alloush revealed the existence of new projects under study aimed at modernizing the maritime infrastructure and rehabilitating the Syrian ports, including the possibility of implementing similar investments in the port of Tartous and some biological wild ports.
According to Alloush, the container station in the port of Latakia witnessed great interest from several international companies, and several proposals were offered for investment, but the French company’s offer was the most distinguished in terms of technical and financial efficiency, ensuring the continuity of operation without a disturbance in operations.
All offers presented by companies were reviewed within a framework of complete transparency, to ensure the best results for Syria, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The agency indicated that negotiations were followed up by a specialized team from the General Authority for Land and Maritime Ports, in addition to specialized teams in the Syrian Presidency, to ensure the highest levels of accuracy and professionalism in assessing the offer and following up the implementation according to the Syrian laws.
The first real investment
The head of the “Qadi for the Economic, Administrative and Financial Consulting Center in Canada and Syria, Osama Al -Qadi, said in a special interview with Al -Jazeera Net, that the new investment in the port of Lattakia is the first real investment of this size in Syria in decades.
He pointed out that this project may represent a major economic shift in light of the new administration of the port.
The judge explained that this investment, led by the French company “CMACGM”, reflects a renewed international interest in Syria as an important logistical location in the eastern Mediterranean, adding that the expansion of the port will increase its capacity, as the energy can rise from half a million containers to between 2.5 and 3 million containers annually.
The judge noted that the port was suffering from weak infrastructure, especially in the absence of investments for decades, in addition to suffering great damage as a result of the bombing and some military operations, including Israeli attacks in recent years. “The port needs new sidewalks and a comprehensive expansion, such as sidewalks, which ranges between 15 and 17 meters, to facilitate the reception of huge ships,” he said.
In comparison with the experience of China in the Greek port of Perius, where Beijing invested about 600 million euros (678 million dollars), the judge explained that the French CMA will invest about a third of this amount in Latakia, which is a reasonable number but requires more efforts to develop the port effectively.
The judge stopped at the symbolic dimension of this investment, noting that the owner of the company, Rudolf Saadeh, is the grandson of a Syrian businessman from the city of Latakia, and said, “Rudolph is the grandfather of the grandfather left Syria for Lebanon and then to France, and he married a French.
In turn, political researcher Abdullah Al -Khair calls for the details of such agreements in the official media, especially since the company is private and has nothing to do with the French government, with the aim of seeking the Syrian people and achieving transparency.
He added in an interview with Al -Jazeera Net that the company belongs to a Syrian family, which is important, but this does not prevent the creation of a competitive atmosphere with foreign companies by offering these investment contracts within a public and transparent auction, because the people have been tired of public agreements issued by the Assad regime in which the goods of Syria are wasted.
