CMA CGM’s subsidiary CMA Terminals has been chosen to manage, operate and maintain the container terminal at Port of Beirut, the main port in Lebanon before it was devastated in August 2020 by an explosion so large it could be seen from space. The concession is for a 10-year period starting in March 2022.
The French group, whose founding family hail from Lebanon, will invest $33m in the container terminal, including $19m over the first two years. The plan includes a complete infrastructure upgrade, the construction of a new technical facility, a digital transformation of the terminal and environmental performance improvements.
Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and CEO of CMA CGM, commented: “Faithful to our commitments to Lebanon, we will be launching shortly an ambitious investment plan that will transform Beirut port’s container terminal into a state-of-the-art facility that meets the best international standards. It will be at the service of the Lebanese people and will revitalize the economic exchanges between Lebanon and the rest of the world.”
In Lebanon, CMA CGM currently accounts for almost 55% of the container terminal’s volumes, since it has maintained its nine weekly calls and transshipment operations. The Group is currently invested in 52 port terminals across 33 countries via its subsidiaries CMA Terminals and Terminal Link.
