Tripoli customs operating normally post-Sept. 1

BEIRUT — The management of the Port of Tripoli, the capital of North Lebanon, reassured that "unloading and customs clearance operations for goods arriving after Sept. 10, 2025, are proceeding normally and smoothly, in accordance with customs and security procedures applied in the ports of Beirut and Tripoli."

According to the statement, "the daily number of outgoing containers varies between 80 and 100, a normal figure that is consistent with usual annual averages."

The management added that submitting incomplete declarations causes delays in processing containers that arrived after Sept. 10 and that customs have "reserved specific areas for these goods and mobilized the required staff to accelerate the processing of files."

The management issued its message on Sunday to deny "information circulating on social media claiming that obstacles are hindering the exit of goods and containers from the port."

In reality, customs clearance procedures for goods did in fact slow in early September following a Finance Ministry decision to tighten controls, after several shipments of illegal goods — including drugs and contraband medicine — were seized.

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber then explained that the tighter controls had been decided until new container scanners could be installed, which is expected to happen this month.

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The minister subsequently asked customs officials to ease controls, which were being conducted manually at the time, and set Sept. 10 as the pivot date.

The Tripoli port management invited all goods owners who believe the delays are due to administrative or customs procedures to contact the administration directly to verify that "any potential delay is not related to administrative or security reasons, but rather to the failure to submit the required documents." The management also ensured that "the release of goods with completed data does not exceed 24 hours."

Tripoli port is, along with Beirut, the only Lebanese port equipped with a container terminal and giant cranes. There are 16 cranes in the capital and 3 in the country's second largest city. Both terminals are operated by CMA CGM. According to the latest available statistics, 3.64 million tons of goods passed through Beirut port in the first seven months of 2025 (up 13.8 percent compared to the same period in 2024), versus 1.37 million in Tripoli (down 24.6 percent).