CMA-CGM wins contract for works in the devasted port of Beirut

French transport company CMA-CGM won the contract to manage, operate and maintain the container terminal at the port of Beirut for the next ten years.

On the 17th, Lebanon’s Minister of Transport and Public Works, Ali Hamieh, announced to the press that the contract involves “reconstruction and expansion of the port infrastructure, which was devastated in the massive chemical explosion of 2020.”

In turn, CMA-CGM announced investments worth US$33 million to the container terminal at the port of Beirut, including US$ 19 million in the first two years.

These funds will be used to “renovate, replace, and acquire new equipment; build a new maintenance facility and a spare parts warehouse; improve terminal digitalization [and] environmental performance through the use of green and more sustainable materials.”

“We will launch an ambitious investment plan to transform the container terminal at the port of Beirut into a facility of excellence that meets the highest international standards,” promised Rodolphe Saadé, president of CMA-CGM. “All of this for the benefit of the Lebanese people, to revitalize trade between Lebanon and the rest of the globe.”

The incident 

More than 200 people were killed, 6,000 were injured, and 300,000 were left homeless after a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital on August 4, 2020. The disaster caused by the combustion of ammonium nitrate devastated parts of the city and aggravated the political and economic crisis that plagued the country.

Following the explosion, letters sent to the Lebanese judiciary revealed that the head of customs services was aware of highly combustible items in port facilities.

Following that, people discovered that President Michel Aoun and the then-acting Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, had been informed about the risks posed by security officials. However, both said they lacked the authority to intervene over the port.

Source: Monitor do Oriente

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https://www.monitordooriente.com/20220218-empresa-francesa-vence-leilao-de-obras-no-porto-devastado-de-beirute/

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