The giant cranes that bristle the container terminal at the port of Beirut. (Credit: Archive photo / P.H.B.)
Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny emphasized on Friday that the first 100 days will be decisive for developing a clear plan for the future of the Port of Beirut. He made these remarks during the inauguration ceremony of the port’s new management, in line with the Cabinet decision of Jan. 6. Marwan al-Nafi has taken over the port’s leadership, succeeding Omar Itani, who had served since 2021 — one year after the twin explosions of Aug. 4, 2020, which devastated part of the capital and killed more than 220 people.
“I will hold a meeting with the president and members of the new board to define the next steps, and the first hundred days will be decisive in developing a clear plan for the port’s future,” Rasamny said. He also announced that “a meeting to receive the new scanners will be held on Nov. 20,” noting that “the state loses at least one million dollars a day due to mismanagement, outdated equipment and smuggling operations.”
54th worldwide
The minister also thanked the port’s employees, saying that his experience in the public sector allowed him to observe “how full this sector is of competencies that simply need support and fair income commensurate with their work and performance.” According to him, “the port’s revenues could be quadrupled within the next five years if we commit to reform and productive work.” He added that “no decision concerning the silos will be taken without full consultation with the families of the victims,” as the facilities were partially destroyed on Aug. 4, 2020.
For his part, the new port director affirmed that the minister’s remarks were “in total harmony with the inaugural address of the president of the republic and the ministerial statement of the government, which will serve as the compass for the board’s work.”
Omar Itani, meanwhile, recalled that he took office in 2021 when the port was a “lifeless body.” He explained that his efforts focused “on continuity and maintaining a minimal level of operational capacity, which had returned to about 70 percent only three days after the explosion, despite financial difficulties and the inability to purchase spare parts.” According to him, the port’s revenues rose from around 10 million dollars in cash in 2021 to 150 million dollars in 2024. He noted that “the award of the container terminal allowed the port to move from 700th place worldwide in 2020 to 54th in 2024.”
The management of container terminals in both ports is handled by the French group CMA CGM — since 2021 in Tripoli and since 2022 in Beirut. Nearly 100,000 standard containers (TEUs) passed through the Port of Beirut in July, marking a new record since 2019, the last year the port operated at full capacity before the economic crisis and the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion disrupted its activity.
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