A view of the Beirut port prior to the Aug. 4, 2020 port explosion. (Credit: Joseph Barrak/AFP)
BEIRUT — The CMA CGM group has issued a statement saying it "regrets" rumors circulating about its involvement in the grain silos at the Port of Beirut.
Here's what we know:
• "The group would like to point out that the silos are not under the authority of the CMA CGM group and are outside the enclosure of the container terminal, at a distance of 1,500 meters, and are the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy and the Authority of the Port of Beirut,” the maritime carrier wrote in a statement sent to the media.
• In February, the French carrier and logistics company CMA CGM won the tender to manage the container terminal in Beirut, which was relatively undamaged by the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion that ravaged the grain silos at the port and swathes of the Lebanese capital. The management contract is for 10 years, a period during which the group has planned to invest $33 million to "ensure the rehabilitation and modernization of the terminal." CMA CGM replaced the operator BCTC, a consortium made up of Portia Ports Limited, International Port Management Beirut SAL and Logistics and Port Management Americas, in place since 2005.
• In its press release, the CMA CGM group says it wishes "to specify that its role is limited exclusively to the management of the container terminal." The statement continues, “The group has already embarked on a major investment plan to upgrade the container terminals of the two ports of Beirut and Tripoli, in order to improve their productivity and allow the development of trade between Lebanon and the rest of the world.” Regarding the management of the container terminals of the ports of Beirut and Tripoli, CMA CGM said it “wants to confirm that it is the sole shareholder of these two entities and manages them independently.”