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Russian convoy delivers supplies to Syrian coastal facilities after agreement
A four-vessel convoy of Russian naval and cargo ships reached Tartus Port on September 7, carrying supplies to the coastal facilities Moscow uses in Syria. A claim that the Sparta also unloaded ammunition has not been independently verified.
After Moscow and Damascus announced an agreement on the future of Russia’s military presence in Syria, a four-vessel Russian convoy carried supplies to Syrian coastal facilities for the first time. The convoy reached Tartus Port on the Mediterranean coast on September 7.
Two Russian ships spotted at Tartus
The Russian Ro-Ro cargo ship Sparta and the replenishment tanker Akademik Pashin, tracked through satellite imagery and maritime intelligence data, docked at berths 3 and 4 of Tartus Port on September 8. Both ships were still seen at the port on September 9.
The Russian tanker General Skobelev remained offshore, while the convoy’s fourth vessel was identified as the Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Admiral Levchenko. A surveillance balloon was seen flying over the port during the unloading operation.
Ammunition claim not independently verified
A Syrian military official familiar with the operation and a Russian-Syrian businessman said that the Sparta unloaded supplies, including ammunition, for Tartus and Hmeimim. However, the contents of the shipment and the recipients to whom the materials were sent were not independently verified.
The ships stopped transmitting signals shortly after passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. Satellite imagery was used to track the convoy as it moved east through the Mediterranean and reached the Syrian coast.
Scope of the Moscow-Damascus agreement
The agreement announced on August 9 provides for the transfer of the civilian facilities used by Russia to the Syrian administration, while the military facilities are to be converted into joint training centers. The agreement envisages Russian forces remaining at the bases.
Damascus and Moscow reached an agreement on the future of Tartus and Hmeimim after 18 months of talks that followed the removal of former President Bashar al-Assad from office in December 2024.
Moscow uses Tartus Port and Hmeimim Air Base as important elements of its military access to the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa. Tartus is Russia’s only naval maintenance and replenishment facility in the Mediterranean.
The Sparta and General Skobelev have been targeted by Western sanctions over Russia’s military logistics activities and oil shipments.
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