Figures released by the Port of Beirut show that the aggregate volume of imports by the top five shipping companies and freight forwarders through the port totaled 160,512 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first nine months of 2024, constituting an increase of 2.7% from 156,280 TEUs in the same period of 2023. The five shipping and freight forwarding firms accounted for 82.5% of imports to the Lebanese market in the covered period. Merit Shipping handled 55,712 TEUs in the first nine months of 2024, equivalent to 20.2% of the total import freight market to Lebanon. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) followed with 46,450 TEUs (17%), then Sealine Group with 21,259 TEUs (7.7%), MAERSK with 19,558 TEUs (7.1%), and Gezairi Transport with 17,533 TEUs (6.4%). Sealine Group registered a rise of 54% in its imports in the first nine months of 2024 from the same period of the preceding year, the highest growth rate among the top five companies, while Maersk posted a drop of 30%, the steepest decline among the five firms in the covered period. Also, the import shipping operations of the top five firms through the port regressed by 2.4% in September 2024 from the preceding month and increased by 23.6% from September 2023.  In parallel, the aggregate volume of exports by the top five shipping and freight forwarding firms through the Port of Beirut reached 53,413 TEUs in the first nine months of 2024, representing a decrease of 10% from 59,390 TEUs in the same period of the previous year. The five companies accounted for 91.2% of exported Lebanese cargo in the covered period. Merit Shipping handled 29,735 TEUs of freight in the first nine months of 2024, equivalent to 50.8% of the Lebanese cargo export market. Sealine Group followed with 8,516 TEUs (14.5%), then MAERSK with 6,151 TEUs (10.5%), MSC with 5,208 TEUs (9%), and Gezairi Transport with 3,803 TEUs (6.5%).  Sealine Group posted a surge of 64.5% in exports in the first nine months of 2024 from the same period of 2023, the highest growth rate among the top five companies, while Maersk registered a decrease of 57.4%, the steepest decline among the five firms in the covered period. The export-shipping operations of the top five companies regressed by 1.3% in September 2024 from the previous month and by 1.3% from September 2023. (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: Byblos Bank, January 20-25, 2025