Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Beirut port boss puts blast damage at $350m, upbeat on future

Director Bassem Al Qaissi says Beirut port will retain strategic geographic position despite impact of August 4 explosion
Beirut Port will never lose its strategic geographic position and is irreplaceable even after the huge blast on August 4, according to its boss.

Port director Bassem Al Qaissi spoke to Arabian Business amid rising concerns in Beirut about the ongoing normalisation talks with Israel which raises the question of whether the Port of Haifa, the largest in Israel, may impact shipping movements in the future.

Lebanon and Israel last week agreed to a framework for US-mediated talks aimed at ending a long-running dispute along the border between the two nations that have fought several conflicts.

Haifa is one of the largest ports in the eastern Mediterranean in terms of freight volume and handles about 30 million tons of cargo per year.

But, two months after the explosion that devastated parts of Beirut, Al Qaissi revealed to Arabian Business that a new international public tender for the management and operation of the container terminal at Beirut port will be launched "with new terms for the best benefit of the port".

It is understood that the French company CMA CGM is favourite to win the contract for the reconstruction and investment in Beirut port.

He added that traffic rates and port fees were modified after the explosion in order to increase the competitiveness of the port.

Al Qaissi estimated the total damage to port facilities at around $350 million “with significant damage to logistics buildings in the free zone and to administrative buildings", adding that there are currently no warehouses for dry goods.

"Storage capacity is only at 40 percent of what it was before the explosion, which completely destroyed the port’s warehouses. Another year is needed for the storage area to be fully operational again,” he added.

On August 4, a large quantity of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut port exploded. Approximately 2,750 tonnes of highly flammable substance – commonly used in fertiliser – had been abandoned without proper safety measures for the previous six years, following its confiscation by Lebanese authorities from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus.

The disaster killed roughly 200 people, wounding 6,000 more, as the blast sent shock waves through Beirut’s industrial waterfront into densely populated residential and shopping districts.

The overall damage caused by the explosion is thought to be in the range of $3.8-4.6 billion, while the economic losses are estimated to be between $2.9-3.5bn. As a result, total damages and losses exceed $8bn, according to the latest estimates by the World Bank.

Al Qaissi added: “The container terminal is functioning to load and unload normally. So far by the end of September we have handled 92,000 TEU and received 100 vessels. All ship lines returned to normal shipping to Beirut port. The shipping movement figures are almost the same as for August alone compared to July and August 2019.”

A large fire erupted at Beirut port on September 10, just weeks after the massive blast was limited to the free zone which was "highly affected", causing a "lot of loss in merchants’ goods”, he said.

Al Qaissi added that the port administration has introduced stringent new regulations and security measures to avoid such incidents in the future.

A circular has been issued by the Beirut Port Administration to all traders and importers requesting them “not to import or store any inflammable materials or goods that pose a threat to public safety, without prior permission from the official laboratory accredited by the country of origin to those imported goods concerned".

Regarding plans for reconstruction and port investment, Al Qaissi said: "What is needed for construction are warehouses and a free zone and three buildings for customs and administration. Therefore, the total reconstruction is incorrect. Container terminals account for 70 percent of port revenue."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×