BEIRUT: The number of containers handled by Port of Beirut surpassed the 1 million mark in 2011.

“Despite a hard economic year on both regional and international levels, we have broken the record and established once again its [important] regional role,” head of the port Hassan Kraytem said.

Kraytem said a decision to expand the port a few years ago came at the right time to meet its increasing activity and “will further strengthen the position of the port as a sea transport regional hub.”

The expansion works, due to be finalized in 2013, are vital for boosting the port’s growth, experts say.

The upgrade is expected to increase the depth of the container quay to 16.5 meters and increase the size of the container area to handle a total of 1,500,000 containers per year.

Earlier this week, The Daily Star reported that the port had performed much better than other economic sectors in the country as transshipment reached an all time high this year.