The deadly explosion in the Port of Beirut on August 4 left 6,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, at least 191 people dead, more than 6,500 wounded, and as many as 300,000 displaced. Beyond the human toll, the city itself was left devasted, with parts of the port and large areas of the city destroyed. This was the result of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate unsafely stored since 2013.
Seafreight operations were affected due to a lack of warehousing options, but our partners in Lebanon, Oceanair, never stopped with their services. And since then, it has been an ongoing effort to get back to normal.
We have asked Ocenair to comment on the current situation. This is what Habib Ph. Bassil, owner, had to say:
“The devastating explosion that happened in our country has entirely destroyed Beirut port and 40% of Beirut city waterfront, the strong cement structure of wheat slush saved the rest, otherwise the damage would have been 80%.
The explosion is ranked three after Hiroshima and Nagasaki in terms of massif destruction and a financial loss estimated at 13 billion US. (Source: BBC News)
It took port and customs authorities a couple of weeks to assess the condition of the cranes on various docks and Beirut port was reported in good condition to receive FCL containers.
Meanwhile, Beirut port and customs authorities worked on granting a special permit to all consolidators allowing them to temporarily use private warehouses in a free zone area originally intended for traders. Now we can say Oceanair consolidators are back in service in Beirut port.
The local freight forwarders community never failed to support us. Neutrality is a gold medal awarded to our team along with each booking we receive. Our neutrality is proven and beyond questioning, and we thank those who believe in us.
To you, our dear clients, we cannot express our gratitude for your continuous support, we assure you of our commitment and determination to carry on with the same level of service we have always provided, we have a mission to accomplish.
To TransGlory management and teams, there will be never enough words to thank you for believing in us during this dramatic and hard time, you never questioned our decision, and have always been there for us. Soon we will harvest the result of our cooperation.”
We offer a direct weekly service from Spain to Beirut with a transit time of 8 days. Get a quote and let’s help to rebuild such a strong, beautiful country.