French shipping giant CMA CGM heads inland in Syria

CMA CGM to operate Syrian dry ports: Syria’s General Authority for Borders and Customs reportedly inked an agreement with French shipping group CMA CGM to operate two dry ports in the Adra Freezone outside Damascus and the Aleppo Freezone. The agreement covers the management and operation of the facilities — with the dry ports set to streamline logistics, customs, storage, and inland trade flows.

CMA CGM is building a Latakia-plus network: The dry-port agreement builds on CMA CGM’s 30-year concession to modernize and operate Latakia Port, with a EUR 230 mn investment ticket. The upgrades cover terminal capacity expansion, cargo-handling digitization, larger-vessel access, rail-road integration, and new dry ports elsewhere in Syria.

And it’s not the only global operator moving in: DP World also signed a 30-yearconcession last year to redevelop and operate Tartus Port under a USD 800 mn build-operate-transfer model, with plans to add cargo-handling equipment and digital systems.

Momentum is building on the ground: The signing coincided with the restart of the freight rail link between Latakia Port and Adra after a 14-year halt. The move is expected to ease logistics bottlenecks, accelerate import and shipping flows, and support a broader recovery in trade activity.