Shipping from China to Syria

Corridor summary

Chinese supplier cargo for Syrian importers, through Latakia, Tartous and Damascus

This corridor carries commercial and industrial cargo from Chinese suppliers to importers in Syria: industrial equipment, machinery and spare parts, raw materials, building materials, electrical products, automotive spare parts and commercial trade goods. Most of it travels by sea from China main ports to Latakia or Tartous, and is cleared and delivered inland by our Damascus office.

A China to Syria file runs from our partner office in China to the MIDTRANS office in Damascus. We have worked with a partner in Guangzhou since 2004 and in Hong Kong since 2006, and the Damascus office has run Syrian import files since the company was established there in 1998. At origin the work follows the supplier, the ready date and the export handover; at destination the Syrian import file is prepared before the cargo sails.

Not all Chinese goods for Syria sail direct. A share passes through Jebel Ali for storage, consolidation or re-export before the final leg, and a container can also discharge at Aqaba and continue by road.

Route options

Direct to the Syrian coast, or through Jebel Ali or Aqaba

Primary: China main ports to Latakia or Tartous. Full containers move on direct or transhipment services to Latakia or Tartous, and smaller shipments travel as LCL in a consolidation. Containerised cargo discharges at Latakia when the service calls there; breakbulk, out-of-gauge and heavy pieces go to Tartous. Where the service tranships, we book the relay explicitly and follow the connection, not the first sailing. This routing has the fewest handlings: a full container is not opened on the way. See FCL container shipping to Syria and LCL consolidation.

Alternative: discharge at Jebel Ali, then on to Syria. The cargo is received at our Jebel Ali warehouse, where it can be stored or combined with goods from UAE sellers under one bill of lading. From Jebel Ali it continues by sea to Latakia or Tartous, or by road across Saudi Arabia and Jordan into Syria at Nassib. The cost is a second leg and a second set of filings: the goods leave under a free zone exit bill or a re-export declaration, and the Dubai Chamber certificate of re-export has to name China as the country of manufacture. It suits buyers who hold stock in the UAE or mix Chinese and UAE suppliers. See UAE to Syria shipping.

Alternative: discharge at Aqaba, then by road. A vessel reaches Aqaba from the Red Sea without entering the Mediterranean. The cargo runs north through Jordan under customs transit and crosses into Syria at Jaber and Nassib, with no feeder connection to wait for. The cost is a road leg the length of Jordan, a transit file that has to be opened at the port and closed at the exit office, and, where the trailer does not run through, a transfer to a Syrian trailer in the border yard. See Jordan to Syria shipping.

A container can also discharge at Mersin or Beirut and continue to Syria by road. Air freight covers urgent spares and samples, cleared by our Damascus office at the airport, with the routing named in the quote. Every routing is confirmed at booking.

Gateways and ports

Latakia for containers, Tartous for heavy cargo, Damascus for clearance

Latakia is the principal Syrian container gateway, with the stacking yard, and the shorter road to Aleppo, Idlib and the north.

Tartous is the conventional and bulk port, with quay space and lay-down room for heavy pieces, and the shorter road east to Homs and Damascus. Steel sections, flat racks, transformers and plant on skids go there; containers also call.

At Damascus, our office files the import declaration, attends the examination and moves the cargo inland, either under customs transit to the Damascus customs office or cleared on the coast and trucked to Adra industrial city or the city. It also clears air freight.

Jebel Ali is run from our Dubai office, which handles the UAE bookings, the warehouse and the clearance desk; see freight forwarding from Dubai. Aqaba is Jordan's only seaport.

Equipment and cargo fit

20 ft, 40 ft and 40 ft high cube, with flat racks and breakbulk for heavy pieces

Sea freight on this lane is booked per container: 20 ft, 40 ft and 40 ft high cube. The choice between FCL and LCL follows the volume. Once the volume fills a container economically, a dedicated box costs less and is safer, because the cargo is not opened on the way.

Where a Syrian buyer orders from several Chinese suppliers, the cargo can be consolidated before shipment so that one bill of lading covers the movement. That simplifies the Syrian entry but ties the container to the slowest supplier: one late or inconsistent set of papers holds the whole consignment. Machinery and plant that will not fit a standard container travel on flat racks or as breakbulk to Tartous, planned from the drawings and lifting points. See project cargo and heavy-lift shipping.

We carry commercial and industrial cargo on this corridor. Chemicals and other dangerous goods travel with a safety data sheet and need carrier acceptance before booking; see dangerous goods. We do not handle household goods, furniture, personal effects, baggage, relocation cargo or courier shipments.

Documentation set

The Syrian import file for goods made in China

A China to Syria file is assembled before the vessel sails. It carries the commercial invoice, the packing list with marks and numbers matching the packages, the certificate of origin legalised for Syria, and the bill of lading naming the Syrian consignee exactly as that consignee is registered. Where the commodity sits on a licensed or restricted list, the importer holds a prior import approval from the Syrian Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade, with the bank record covering the transfer, before customs registers the declaration.

A consolidated container carries one certificate of origin per manufacturer. On the Jebel Ali routing the origin document is a certificate of re-export, which has to name China, not the UAE, as the country of manufacture. The UAE side is on customs clearance in the UAE. On the Aqaba routing the Jordanian transit declaration, the manifest and the seal number travel with the trailer to the exit office.

Add the safety data sheet for chemicals and ISPM 15 marking on wooden packaging where relevant. Our Damascus office checks the HS code and the documents before the cargo sails; duties, taxes and permits are confirmed with the Syrian customs authority and the appointed customs broker. See customs clearance in Syria and the customs clearance hub.

Conditions that change the plan

What we review before fixing the port, the routing and the date

Supplier readiness. Factory closures and holiday periods in China can affect cargo readiness, export documents and booking cut-offs, so each ready date is checked with the supplier. On a consolidation, the last supplier to be ready sets the sailing.

Carrier service and acceptance. Which Syrian port a service calls, where it tranships and whether the carrier accepts dangerous goods or out-of-gauge pieces are checked for each booking. For heavy pieces, berth, crane and storage availability at the Syrian port are checked before the vessel is fixed.

Port terms. Empty container return terms and yard free time differ between Latakia and Tartous. We confirm both before booking, because detention on the inland leg can outweigh a lower sea rate.

Import approval and road legs. A licensed commodity is not declared until the prior import approval is held, so we ask at enquiry stage. On the road options, the Jordanian transit file, the crossing at Nassib and whether the trailer runs through or transloads are stated before loading.

Recorded transit ranges

Recorded sea transit from China main ports, July to August 2026

Our published rate records filed for the period 2026-07-22 to 2026-08-14 hold these sea transit ranges from China main ports: to Latakia 30–38 days, to Tartus 30–37 days, to Jebel Ali 25–30 days and to Aqaba 27–33 days.

These are recorded ranges from that window, not a schedule. Every record in that window has expired; the figures are historical reference for comparing routings. On the Jebel Ali and Aqaba routings the onward leg to Syria comes on top. A current transit time is confirmed for each shipment.

What we need to review a request

Supplier, cargo and consignee details for a China to Syria quote

Send the supplier list with the pickup city in China and the ready date for each supplier, the commodity and the HS code if known, the package count, gross weight, dimensions or CBM, and the Incoterm if one is agreed. Say whether any piece is out of gauge or dangerous goods.

For the Syrian side, send the consignee name exactly as registered, the delivery point, the discharge port you prefer and whether the importer already holds a prior import approval for the commodity. If the cargo is already at sea, send the bill of lading and the invoice and we pick up the clearance from there.