Humanitarian Cargo Logistics in Syria

The cargo

The cargo

The relief cargo we have carried since 2011 falls into three groups. The first is shelter and general relief: blankets and tents. The second is medical: medical supplies, and cold-chain pharmaceuticals and vaccines. The third is educational supplies.

Each group is planned on its own terms. Blankets and tents are volume cargo, so the constraint is space rather than weight. Medical supplies move as packed cargo with their documents. Cold-chain items move at a temperature the product owner defines, and that instruction governs the equipment, the routing and every handover.

Logistics pattern

How we handled it

Origins vary with the consignment, so the plan starts from where the goods are released and how quickly they are needed. Three modes carry the work. Sea freight takes the volume cargo. Air freight takes urgent consignments and temperature-managed cargo. Road freight carries the regional legs and the final delivery inside Syria.

Routing follows the gateway. Cargo from China sails direct to Latakia, moves through Mersin and continues by road, or is transhipped through Jebel Ali. Cargo from Turkey moves to Syria by road. Cargo landed at Beirut or Tripoli moves to Syria by road, and so does cargo landed at Aqaba. Egyptian cargo moves through Alexandria or Damietta.

Handling is set by the product owner, not by us. The product owner defines the temperature range, the packing and the monitoring instruction; we book the equipment to that instruction and write it onto the booking and the shipping instruction. Reefer equipment is checked before stuffing, power at each handover is planned before the cargo moves, and the temperature record travels with the arrival documents. Mixed consignments are separated so that only the cold-chain portion carries the cold-chain plan.

Documents run ahead of the cargo: the invoice or consignment documents, the packing list with marks and numbers matching the cargo, the certificate of origin and the bill of lading or air waybill naming the consignee exactly as registered. Where a consignment needs a prior approval or an exemption, the consignee holds it and we check it is on the file before arrival. Our Damascus office files the import declaration. See refrigerated transport and customs clearance in Syria. HS Code, duty and customs-clearance decisions rest with the customs authorities and the appointed customs broker.

Typical challenges

Typical challenges

Relief cargo is planned like any other freight, with the cold chain and the document file as the fixed points. These are the points we plan for from the first enquiry.

Cold chain

Reefer or temperature-managed air

Two options carry temperature-controlled relief cargo. A reefer container suits planned volume and a sea or road leg, and runs on vessel or genset power with the declared setpoint. Temperature-managed air freight suits urgent or short-shelf-life consignments, where the packing and the airport handover carry the temperature rather than a container.

The choice is made against the product owner's instruction, the route and carrier acceptance, not against price alone. Our healthcare logistics page covers pharmaceutical freight in more detail.