Russian Cargo Ship Finally Docks in Syria
A Russian cargo ship has finally docked at Russia‘s Tartus naval base in Syria after weeks of drifting in the Mediterranean. MarineTraffic data shows that the ship, called Sparta II, moored at Tartus on January 23.
The ship was supposed to evacuate Russian military equipment from the base after the Syrian government changed hands last December. But the new authorities refused to let it dock, leaving personnel and equipment stranded.
Reports say that Russian forces had dismantled air defense radars and moved over 100 trucks of equipment to the port. But without access for Russian ships, they couldn’t get out.
Syrian authorities have now granted permission for the ship to dock, but this doesn’t change the fact that Syria has canceled Russia’s operating lease for Tartus. This lease was signed in 2019 and committed Moscow to invest $500 million in modernizing the port.
With the agreement void, all revenues from the port will go directly to the Syrian state. This means that local authorities will manage the port from now on.