Beirut Port increases fees

Shipping agencies report growth in activity

Fees paid by maritime agencies to the Port of Beirut will be increased by 12 percent. These fees include the cost of loading, unloading, transportation, and storage services .

The Syndicate of Shipping Agencies and the Port of Beirut authority approved the increase after mediation from the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation. The initial proposal of the Port authority was to increase the fees by at least 14 percent, in order to pay the dues to the container operator, Beirut Container Terminal Consortium (BCTC), and cover the cost of the Port’s expansion.

Hassan Jaroudi, head of the Syndicate of Shipping Agencies said: “We accepted the increase because the Port authority will use the additional funds to expand the Port, which would help the whole sector progress .”

According to Jaroudi, shipping agents will have no problem putting up with the new fee: “Exports through maritime routes increased as a result of the difficulties facing land exports, as well as increased sea transit operations to the Gulf markets.”

The Port of Beirut’s revenues reached $158 million in 2012, unchanged from the previous year. The amount of imported and exported merchandise grew by 8.2 percent to 7.2 million tons.

Jaroudi said exports through sea increased for basic agricultural and industrial products, but decreased for other items, such as clothes and shoes.