Customs activity was negative over the first seven months of 2015 recording yearly drops of 13.6% and 1.9% in terms of value and volume of transferred goods. However, the steep decline in the value of goods could be explained by the ongoing deterioration of oil prices and the depreciation of the euro.
The breakdown of transferred goods revealed that maritime shipment was the main route for Lebanon’s trade activity. Port of Beirut is still transmitting the highest part of goods as it took a share of 66.7% and was followed by the Port of Tripoli (21.3%) and the Port of Saida (9.2%).
Five out of nine custom offices revealed higher volumes of transported goods by July, 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 despite the decline of overall goods from 8.84M tons by July 2014 to 8.67M tons.
Despite that, PoB saw 7.9% yearly fall in goods’ volume to reach 5.8M tons worth $10.98B partly due the labor strikes and the slow domestic demand. In contrast, tonnage of transferred goods improved in each of the ports of Saida and Tripoli by respective 67.7% and 3.5% to 1.9M tons and 794,432 tons. In fact, the relatively improving security situation in Tripoli and Saida might have boosted trading activity at the cities’ ports, noting that Saida’s Port revealed the largest yearly upturn.
Custom office of Masnaa, which used to be one of Lebanon’s busiest custom offices, saw the tonnage of trafficked goods slashing in half by July 2015 following a 52.6% y-o-y slump to 72,386 tons. This is most probably due to the constant conflict at the Lebanese/Syrian border. In details, traded goods at the mentioned gate, which is also the main land route to Jordan and GCC countries, fell mainly due to Syrian rebels taking control of the Jordanian Nasib border crossing (between Syria and Jordan) in Q1.
Separately, the imported volume through the Rafik Hariri International Airport (RHIA) remained relatively stagnant at 34,149 tons by July 2015 compared to 34,182 tons by July 2014.
Imports Tonnage Relating to Lebanon’s Main Custom Offices
Source: Customs