A convoy of 70 Iraqi crude oil tankers has passed through the al-Yarubiyah border crossing into Syria, marking the first such shipment via the route in 14 years, Al Jazeera reports.

According to Syria’s SANA news agency, the convoy is bound for the Baniyas refinery on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.

Feras Rustum, a Syrian official at the al-Yarubiyah crossing, said that “the reopening of the crossing after 14 years is a strategic move to boost the economic ties between Iraq and Syria”.

He added that the decision to reopen the crossing will “facilitate commercial and energy shipments more effectively” and “lead to a long-term partnership between the two countries”.

The shipment comes as Iraq seeks alternative routes for its oil exports while the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the US-Israel war on Iran.