The Dubai Ports Authority has cancelled a 225-million-dollar deal to equip and operate the new Beirut port, said the Gulf news.
The Beirut Navigation Chamber said in a statement Friday that it was coordinating with the government to find the appropriate solution with the Dubai Ports Authority (DPA), which decided to cancel the contract it won in 1998.
“The Beirut port seeks to maintain the best relations with the DPA and the UAE in general,” the statement said.
Lebanon’s Transport Minister Najib Mikati said this week that the two sides were trying to cancel the contract in an amicable way.
DPA officials had complained that the Lebanese government delayed streamlining the customs procedures, which constituted a major obstacle in making the new port a shipment hub, similar to its peak before the 1975-1990 civil war.
Lebanese ports have antiquated equipment and cannot handle large post-panamax ships, whose containers have to be unloaded in neighboring ports and then ferried to Beirut.
The chamber said the DPA had purchased the equipment for the new terminal and the equipment is currently in Ireland, according to the paper – Albawaba.com
