The port of Beirut, devastated by a massive explosion shortly followed by a warehouse fire, will be restored by a French firm over 10 years.
French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM has been awarded the contract to manage, operate and maintain the port of Beirut for 10 years, a year and a half after the port was destroyed by fire and explosion.
The work will be given to the firm’s subsidiary, CMA Terminals.
In August 2020, a warehouse in the port containing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate blew up, killing at least 190 people and leaving up to 300,000 people homeless.
A month later, a fire broke out in a warehouse containing barrels of cooking oil, officials said, which spread to nearby tyres. At the time, suggestions were made that the fire had been caused by repair work at the port.
Now the port will be entirely renovated and modernised at a cost of some $33 million (€29 million) by CMA CGM, which says the first $19 million will be spent in the first two years of a 10-year plan.
The renovation will include a complete infrastructure upgrade with new port equipment; a new technical facility for maintenance and the storage of spare parts; and environmental performance improvements such as the purchase of ‘greener and ecofriendly’ equipment.
It also plans ‘a digital transformation of the terminal’, with modern management systems implemented to communicate between operations and the various operators at the port.
“Faithful to our commitments to Lebanon, we will be launching shortly an ambitious investment plan that will transform Beirut port’s container terminal into a state-of-the-art facility that meets the best international standards,” CMA CGM Group CEO Rodolph Saadé said.
The Group, which says it accounts for more than half of the container terminal’s volumes, appears to be keen to maintain its foothold in Lebanon, with the acquisition last year of the container terminal inside Tripoli Port.
“Considered the country’s second commercial port, CMA CGM Group is pursuing its will of strengthening its presence at Lebanon’s ports,” the company said. “The Group plays an active role in supporting and developing the country’s economy through its investments in shipping and ports, as well as in logistics via its subsidiary CEVA Logistics.”
