A woman taking a photo of the CMA CGM Eugenie on the quay of the container terminal in Tripoli on June 8, 2026. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros/L'Orient-Le Jour)
NORTH LEBANON — Under clear skies on Monday, Tripoli port marked a milestone as it welcomed the largest container ship ever to dock at Lebanon’s second port, in the presence of port officials and CMA CGM Tripoli.
"It took several months of preparation and training to carry out this maneuver ... safely and in accordance with international standards," said the chairman of the port's board of directors, Iskandar Bandalai, during a brief speech. He also thanked the Public Works and Transport Minister, Fayez Rasamny, for giving the board of directors and port management the "freedom of action" to implement development strategies for this infrastructure. The CEO of CMA CGM Tripoli, Charlie Darazi, said that this event embodied a successful example of collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Admittedly, at 366 meters long and with a capacity of 15,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the standard measurement for containers), the CMA CGM Eugenie is less imposing than the largest ships of this type, which measure around 400 meters and can carry more than 20,000 containers.
Before maneuvering this vessel into the terminal's 13.8-meter basin (its current depth, which can still be slightly deepened), the crew and teams had only received container ships with a maximum capacity of 13,000 TEUs, such as the CMA CGM Cobalt a year ago or the CMA CGM Amazonia a few weeks ago.
Time savings
This difference of 2,000 TEUs is not just symbolic and means that the port of Tripoli, which is equipped with three giant cranes (or STS quay gantries — the first two were deployed in 2017 and the third in 2023), can now regularly accommodate vessels of this size. This will not only allow it to increase its activity in imports, exports and transshipment, but also reduce shipping times.
"This event is not limited to the exceptional arrival of a ship of this size, it also demonstrates the evolution of Tripoli port's operational capabilities ... and its ability to comply with international standards," added Darazi, promising that this progress offers businesses in North Lebanon a "top-tier logistics option."
In practical terms, ships of the caliber of the CMA CGM Eugenie will be able to sail directly to Tripoli from their port of origin without having to transship containers onto smaller ships. Another vessel with the same capacity as the Eugenie is expected in a few weeks, according to a port source. The port source believes that, for now, Tripoli does not need to receive larger ships, even to compete with other ports in the region.
This improvement aims to enhance the competitiveness of Tripoli port, located just a few dozen kilometers from the Syrian border and ideally positioned to unload goods destined for transport by land to Syria or Iraq. This development comes as the Rasamny is seeking to reactivate the file on rehabilitating the railway between Tripoli and Abboudieh, and as the Qleiaat airport is set to begin welcoming its first civil flights within three months.
These assets should benefit the port of the country's second largest city, long neglected in favor of the capital, even though the Beirut port area — partially destroyed by the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion — still retains a large advantage, with its 16 giant cranes and terminal capable of accommodating 18,000 TEU containers. CMA CGM operates the container terminals at both ports: Tripoli’s since 2021 and Beirut’s since 2022.
The port of Beirut handled 6.45 million tons of freight in 2025 (+19%), compared to 2.35 million for Tripoli (+21%).
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