Container lines are diverting to Tripoli and other Mediterranean ports from Beirut following a catastrophic explosion that caused major damage at the port in the capital of Lebanon.

A huge explosion rocked the Lebanon capital on August 4 caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a port warehouse. The incident killed at least 135 people and injured more than 4,000 others.

CMA CGM said its headquarters in Lebanon, located a few hundred meters from the site of the explosion, was severely damaged and one of its staff was killed after the catastrophic blast in Beirut. Preliminary toll also shows two seriously injured and many minor injuries as the CMA CGM Group continues its thorough health and safety assessment of its 261 staff members based in Beirut.

At the time of the blast, its 11,400 TEU, CMA CGM LYRA, berthed at the terminal was located 1.5 km from the explosion and none of the its crew were injured. The vessel was also not damaged.

Alternative port calls

"An operational organization has been put in place to establish a logistics hub in Tripoli. All ships are diverted to Tripoli or other terminals in the region until further notice. In order to maintain business continuity, the Group has organized three recovery sites, of which two are in Beirut and one in Tripoli," the Group said in a statement on August 6.

CMA CGM said together with its subsidiary, CEVA Logistics, it immediately offered the Lebanese and French governments logistics and maritime assistance in order to respond to the emergency as it assured "everything is in place to guarantee perfect business continuity."

MSC said separately that its staff were all working from home and that none of its vessels were at the Beirut port during the blast. While Lebanese officials continue their assesment of the damage and investigation on the incident, MSC noted that port calls at the Beirut Container Terminal were currently being omitted.

“To ensure business continuity MSC has implemented contingency arrangements for cargo due to be loaded/discharged in Beirut until normal operations resume. These arrangements include alternative port calls (such as Gioia Tauro, Tekirdag, Mersin, Piraeus) and alternative loading and discharge operations,” MSC said.

Maersk said its office in Lebanon has been “seriously damaged” by the powerful explosion which destroyed large parts of the city — although the extent of the damage is still being assessed.

“At the time of blast, three of our colleagues were present in the office and were lightly injured in the Lebanese capital Beirut and have been subsequently taken to hospital for medical check-up and treatment. Their condition is good and we are closely monitoring their recovery,” Maersk said in a statement.

Ongoing assesment 

At the time of the blast, the shipping major said there was no Maersk vessel at the port of Beirut, however Maersk containers were present in the port.

It noted that it is doing its utmost to assess the scale of the potential damage and the impact to any equipment and cargo of its customers, while determined to find the best possible alternative solution for our operations.

“While the port in Beirut remains closed, which we expect to last for the next few weeks. We are currently working on a solution with the port in Tripoli to enable the calls of our vessels there and will be communicating the details as soon as they are known,” it added.

The extent of the damage sustained by the container terminal at the Beirut port remains uncertain at this stage, although satellite images posted by Planet Labs showed before and after photos to show the damage. 

Pending investigations into the incident, all operations in the port are on hold and major shipping lines that call Beirut have announced alternative arrangements.

Customs chief Badri Daher said his agency called for the chemical — which has been stored there for six years -— to be removed, but "this did not happen".

Port of Beirut is among the top 10 seaports in the Mediterranean Sea and is considered the gateway to the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Hapag-Lloyd has cancelled the Beirut call of the Fleur N in its Levante Express (LEX) service, with the cargo bound for Beirut to be discharged at Damietta, Egypt.

The German carrier’s East Med Express(EME) service calling Beirut using the APL Norway will also divert to Tripoli to discharge the Beirut cargo.

As a precaution, Hapag-Lloyd also temporarily stopped accepting cargo to and from the Lebanese capital.