The article considers the role of the seaport in the economy and politics of the state. There are listed the main functions of seaports: trade, transportation, employment, industrial, fiscal, and political functions. The important role of the seaports of Syria in improving the quality of transport support for foreign trade activities was noted. The favorable geographical position of the Syrian ports on the Mediterranean coast determines a significant role in international maritime trade between European and Oriental countries. The statistical data on the seaports of the Syrian Arab Republic in the cities Latakia and Tartus have been analyzed. The dynamics of the volumes of containers transshipped through the seaport of Latakia, as well as through the seaport of Tartus is considered. A comparative analysis of the dynamics of the traffic volumes between both ports was carried out. The pace of development in the work of the Syrian ports is being studied on the basis of the GCI (The Global Competitiveness Index) and the liner shipping service index. Comparison of the liner shipping service index between Syrian ports and ports of neighboring countries has been made. The international rating of Syrian ports is presented in comparison with the rating of the nearest ports in the region by infrastructure. Conclusions are made about the low rating of Syrian ports in comparison with competing countries and international ports in general. There has been found the necessity of a detailed study of the reasons for the low competitiveness of the Syrian ports, including the crisis of 2011, rupture of relations between Syria and many countries of the world, economic sanctions against Syria, etc., in order to further develop measures to increase the competitiveness of Syrian seaports.
Syrian sea ports and their global indicators
