Figures released by the Port of Beirut show that overall receipts generated through the port reached $2bn in the first nine months of 2012, constituting a rise of 4.6% from $1.9bn in the same period last year.
Customs receipts through the port totaled $1bn in the first nine months of the year, up 4.2% from $984m in the same period of 2011; while receipts from the value-added tax grew by 4.7% to $882.5m. Also, the port's overall revenues grew by 8% year-on-year to $128.6m in the first nine months of 2012.
Further, the Port of Beirut handled an aggregate weight of 5.3 million tons of freight in the first nine months of 2012, up by 6.2% from 5 million tons in the same period last year. Import freight accounted for 88.4% of the weight, while the remaining 11.6% was export cargo.
A total of 1,586 ships docked the port in the first nine months of 2012, constituting a decrease of 3.8% from 1,648 ships in the same period last year.
In parallel, overall revenues generated through the Port of Tripoli reached $85.9m in the first nine months of 2012, constituting a drop of 26.6% from $117m in the same period last year.
Customs receipts through the port reached $25.9m in the covered period, down 21.9% from $33.2m in the same period last year; while receipts from the value-added tax reached $52.3m and dropped by 31% from $75.9m in the first nine months of 2011.
The port's revenues declined 3.7% to $7.7m in the first nine months of 2012 from $7.9m in the same period of 2011. Further, the Port of Tripoli handled an aggregate weight of 918,517 tons of freight in the first nine months of 2012, down by 24% from 1.2 million tons in the same period last year. A total of 358 ships docked the port in the first nine months of 2012, constituting a decrease of 9.4% from 395 ships in the same period last year.
Lebanon This Week – Byblos Research
12 November
