The president of the International Navigation Chamber, Eli Zkhour, talks to "Al-Markaziah" about the continued flow of import activity for local consumption through the Port of Beirut. This is due to traders doubling their imports of goods, products, and used cars and stockpiling them in anticipation of the new customs dollar, which was set at an exchange rate of 15,000 Lebanese pounds, while the current exchange rate is 1,507 pounds. This will allow them to achieve enormous profits equal to approximately 10 times their current profit once it is implemented.
Statistics indicate that the Port of Beirut continues to witness significant import activity for various types of goods, especially used cars, despite the ongoing worsening of financial, economic, and living conditions in the country. These statistics show an increase in the volume of goods and products imported for local consumption through the Port of Beirut during the first nine months of the current year, with a total weight of 3.239 million tons compared to 2.892 million tons during the same period last year, marking a significant increase of 347,000 tons or 12%.
The import activity of containers for local consumption also showed a notable rise. The total reached 196,795 standard containers compared to 168,863 containers, reflecting an improvement of 27,932 standard containers or 17%. The import activity of vehicles for local consumption, particularly used cars, witnessed significant growth, with a total of 20,205 vehicles compared to 13,079 vehicles, indicating a considerable increase of 7,126 vehicles or 54%.
All expectations indicated that the new customs dollar would be adopted starting from the beginning of November; however, it has become clear that this adoption requires specific decisions and the issuance of decrees by a legitimate and non-resigned government. Thus, it is expected that this adoption will be postponed until further notice!
