Shipping through Beirut Port up 6.7 percent

The number of containers imported through the Beirut Port soared 6.7 percent in first four months of 2012.

The number of containers, intended for local consumption, increased by 6,000 to 95,000 during the first four months, from 89,000 during same period last year.

The stronger performance indicates that the level of imports returned to 2010 levels when the number of containers had reached 93,000, said head of the Shipping Agents Association Hasan Jaroudi.

He said the higher port activity was not related to an increase in transit trade to Syria or other Arab markets, and added that Syrian ports in Lattakia and Tartus were functioning normally despite the turmoil across the country.

Jaroudi said sources at Beirut Port had told him that a first phase of expansion works would be delivered to the port’s authority in three months.

The expansion would relieve congestion at the port and would reflect positively on all of its activities, Jaroudi added.