Port of Beirut
| Port of Beirut | |
|---|---|
Port of Beirut in 2003 | |
Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
Native name | مرفأ بيروت |
| Location | |
| Country | Lebanon |
| Location | Beirut |
| Coordinates | 33°54′10″N 35°31′30″E / 33.90278°N 35.52500°E |
| UN/LOCODE | LBBEY |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1887 |
| Operated by | Gestion et Exploitation du Port de Beyrouth (GEPB) |
| Owned by | Government of Lebanon |
| Type of harbour | Artificial |
| Size of harbour | 1.002 km2 (0.387 sq mi) |
| Size | 1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi) |
| No. of berths | 16 |
| Employees | 639 |
| General Manager | Bassem Al Qaisi |
| Statistics | |
| Vessel arrivals | 2,395 (2009) |
| Annual cargo tonnage | 5.8 million tonnes (2009) |
| Annual container volume | 1,229,081 TEU (2019) |
| Passenger traffic | 6,699 (2009) |
| Annual revenue | $163,486,146 (2009) |
| Website www Beirut Container Terminal Consortium | |
The Port of Beirut (Arabic: مرفأ بيروت) is the main port in Lebanon on the eastern part of the Saint George Bay on Beirut's northern Mediterranean coast, west of the Beirut River. It is one of the largest and busiest ports on the Eastern Mediterranean.
On 4 August 2020, a large explosion, caused by improperly stored ammonium nitrate, occurred at the port, killing at least 218 people, injuring more than 7,000 and rendering 300,000 others homeless. Large sections of the port and its infrastructure were destroyed, including most of Beirut's grain reserves, and billions of dollars in damages were inflicted across the city. The Port of Beirut was forced to close, due to the large-scale damage caused by the explosions, with cargo being redirected to smaller ports, such as Tripoli and Tyre. Prior to the disaster, about 60 percent of Lebanon's imports came through the port, according to an S&P Global estimate.
On 14 April 2022, the Lebanese government ordered the demolition of Beirut’s grain silos, which were at risk of collapse after the 2020 port explosion. On 31 July and 4 August 2022, exactly 2 years after the explosion, the last of the northern block of the grain silos fell down.