Beirut Port commits to Public Procurement Law: General manager

BEIRUT — Beirut Port General Manager Marwan al-Nafi announced on Tuesday that the port is, as of now, fully committed to complying with the Public Procurement Law. The announcement was made during a joint press conference with the head of the Public Procurement Authority, Jean Alieh.

Nafi noted that financial and technical experts were appointed to assess the port’s financial and technical status, as a prerequisite for launching a global tender and engaging auditing firms to monitor the port’s operations and review its accounts, noting that Beirut Port had not undergone any auditing for more than 10 years.

"Most importantly, for the first time in the port’s history, an internal audit committee has been established and has begun its work — all under the framework of working transparently," he added.

Nafi also presented the first terms of reference for Wharf 16 to the Public Procurement Authority, saying: “Let us begin this path together in the spirit of teamwork and integration ... this effort will help develop Beirut Port, restore its standing, and enable it to fulfill its vital role regionally and internationally, all of us united in service of this national facility.”

According to the port's General Manager, the volume of handling on Dec. 14 reached 12,800 containers, a record for the port.

Moreover, another record was set last December, with 103,000 containers handled, the highest figure since 2019, which was the last year the port operated at full capacity before the economic crisis and the devastating Aug. 4 Beirut Port explosion.

He noted that the Board also doubled the weekly revenues transferred from Beirut Port to the Lebanese Treasury.

For his part, Alieh said that while it is true that the port is subject to the Public Procurement Law legally speaking, "adherence to the law is not an administrative decision; it is determined by the legislator, i.e., the Parliament, and it is already established in current laws," adding that "laws are meant to be applied, not to remain on paper.’”

He continued: “What we announce today is a renewed commitment by Beirut Port’s administration to fully implement the provisions of the Public Procurement Law. We explained to the board members that adherence to this law does not hinder their objectives nor does it prevent the port from improving its competitiveness at the gateway to the Mediterranean, given its central role in the national economy.”

“The presence of the Public Procurement Authority at Beirut Port is as a supervisory and oversight body for implementing the law," he added.

The Beirut Port appointed Nafi at the end of 2025. He succeeded Omar Itani, who had served since 2021, one year after the double explosion on Aug. 4, 2020, which devastated the port and the capital's nearby neighborhoods, killing more than 220 people.

American ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said last Thursday that he was "proud" of the progress being made at the Beirut Port following a tour of the loading and unloading zone, comparing what he saw there to U.S. infrastructure.