BEIRUT: Total container activity at the Port of Beirut increased year-on-year by 15.1 percent up to February 2012 to reach 173,288 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) after having declined by 5.1 percent during the same period a year earlier.

Transshipment activity grew 7.5 percent to 65,603 TEU from 61,041 TEU up to February 2012 indicating Lebanon’s main port remained a preferred docking spot amid regional crises.

The number of containers (excluding transshipment) surged by 20.3 percent annually to 107,685 TEU, partially reflecting an improvement in local consumption.

Moreover, the number of imported cars rose by 8.1 percent to 14,126 and the volume of merchandise expanded by 13.7 percent year-on-year to 1,206 tons compared to the same period last year. PoB revenues in January 2013 reached $16.7 million, 21.3 percent higher than a year earlier.