Over 25 Oil Tankers Fail To Deliver Oil Products To Syria Due To Sanctions - Oil Minister

A total of 26 oil tankers failed to get to Syrian ports due to economic sanctions targeting Damascus, exacerbating the deficit of oil products in the Arab country amid an ongoing gas crisis, Syrian Oil and Petroleum Minister Ali Ghanem said on Wednesday

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2019) A total of 26 oil tankers failed to get to Syrian ports due to economic sanctions targeting Damascus, exacerbating the deficit of oil products in the Arab country amid an ongoing gas crisis, Syrian Oil and Petroleum Minister Ali Ghanem said on Wednesday.

"It was expected that 36 tankers would arrive in Syria, but in fact only 10 have managed to reach it. All the others failed to reach Syria due to economic sanctions ... The Oil Ministry has signed long-term contracts with friendly countries to ensure oil product deliveries and satisfy the needs of the country. However, sanctions introduced by enemies of Syria affected both the tankers and their crews, which impeded the deliveries of oil products to the Syrian Arab Republic," Ghanem was quoted as saying by the ministry's press service.

He emphasized that tanker crews were taking "almost miraculous" measures to get into Syrian ports and deliver oil products to local refineries.

Syria has been experiencing disruption in gas supply this winter, in part due to Syrian ports being closed for several days over frequent cyclones. According to Ghanem, the country has managed to boost its gas production to cover 50-60 percent of the country's demand. This has helped to alleviate the gas crisis.