BEIRUT: Elie Zakhour, head of the Beirut International Chamber of Navigation, said Tuesday that the port of Beirut has succeeded in overcoming the negative repercussions of the political bickering in Lebanon and the security turmoil in the region.

According to statistics issued by the port of Beirut, the weight of imported and exported products via Beirut port increased by 48 tons from 600 tons last year to 648 tons this year, which is equivalent to 8 percent.

He noted that the shipping activity in August 2011 broke the record of 41,328 containers registered during last February. He said: “42,343 containers passed through the port until August 2011 compared to 33,223 containers in August 2010, registering a growth rate of 27 percent.”

He added that the expansion of the container terminal at the port will be accomplished by the end of 2012 and will allow the port to accommodate more containers.