Port of Beirut: Total Container Activity Up 40.95% YoY in January 2026 to 91,101 TEU
Container activity at the Port of Beirut rose by 40.95% year-over-year (YoY) to 91,101 TEU in January 2026. This increase is partly due to a low base effect in January 2025, when trade activity was still recovering only two months after the end of the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah war. The election on Lebanon’s president in January 2025 also supported improving business sentiment and trade flows over the year. In addition, foreign aid inflows to displaced populations during the previous conflict may have temporarily reduced import demand in early 2025, strengthening the annual comparison. It is important to note that this data precedes the renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2nd 2026.
Container activity, referring to cargo loaded onto or unloaded from ships at the port saw an increase of 41.49% YoY to 64,617 TEU. Similarly, transshipment activity, which involves cargo transferred from one ship to another at an intermediate port, increased by 39.64% YoY to 26,484. This increase was driven by lower insurance costs and shipping premiums, combined with easing safety concerns, which attracted more cargo back to the Port of Beirut.
It is worth noting that total activity decreased by 0.11% month-over-month (MoM) to 91,101 TEU, mostly driven by transshipment activity from the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
Detailed breakdowns of these changes and additional statistics are provided below:
Total container activity including transshipment (TEU+TS) in twenty-foot in January 2026:
Source: Port of Beirut, BLOMINVEST Bank
