On 5 August IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said:
‘I express my deepest condolences and sincerest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Lebanon following the catastrophic explosions in the port of Beirut yesterday.
‘The port provides a vital artery bringing food, medicines and supplies to the country and its destruction will have devastating consequences.
‘The United Nations is assisting the immediate response to the incident. The International Maritime Organization stands ready to assist in any way we can.’
We at IHMA join IMO in sending our deepest condolences to the people of Lebanon at this difficult time.
Port of Beirut (www.portdebeyrouth.com )is among the top ten seaports in the Mediterranean Sea and is considered the gateway to the Middle East. The port was transformed through self-financing from a local port to a regional and a transshipment hub for the region.
The Port of Beirut lies within a longitude of 35 57ʹ E and a latitude of 35 15ʹ N, forming the midpoint of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa that makes the port a passage for traffic between East and West.
During the mid-1970s, the Port of Beirut was an important international trading station with the surrounding Arab countries and up until today it has preserved its commercial nature.
Earlier this year under a Gestion et Exploitation du Port de Beyrouth authorities called for an international bid to Manage, Operate and Maintain the Container Terminal at the Port of Beirut.
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IALA is a non-profit, international technical association. Established in 1957, it gathers together Marine Aids to Navigation authorities, manufacturers, consultants, and, scientific and training institutes from all parts of the world and offers them the opportunity to exchange and compare their experiences and achievements.
IALA encourages its members to work together in a common effort to harmonise Marine Aids to Navigation worldwide and to ensure that the movements of vessels are safe, expeditious and cost-effective while protecting the environment.
Taking into account the needs of mariners, developments in technology and the requirements and constraints of aids to navigation authorities, a number of technical committees have been established bringing together experts from around the world.
Following a strong start to CLdN’s* weekly Con-Ro service from Cork to Zeebrugge, the shipping line announced a second call to accommodate demand. This second direct service from Cork to the EU commenced on 7 January offering more flexibility to Irish customers, ensuring supply chains are maintained.
Considering Brexit and combined with the modal shift from accompanied to unaccompanied shipping, having a second direct link between Cork and Zeebrugge will bypass the UK Landbridge. For importers and exporters this means avoiding unnecessary border checks thus ensuring cargo flows more effectively and in a cost-efficient manner from Ireland direct to the continent.
According to CLdN, over the last months, there has been steady growth in customer demand for reliable, low cost and Brexit-proof unaccompanied freight products. Shipping unaccompanied trailers, (tank) containers, finished vehicles or project cargo between its own ferry terminals provides a one stop shop for customers to get goods shipped across the North Sea without running the risk of disruption.
