The cause of the explosion and the extent of the damage are still under investigation. Meanwhile the Port of Beirut has put all operations on hold and access to the area is not permitted. There were no Hapag-Lloyd vessels present in the port yesterday, but our containers, both laden and empty, most probably have been affected by the blast.

The vessel Fleur N (Voyage 2030W) in our Levante Express (LEX) Service, will cancel the Beirut call, previously scheduled for August 7, 2020. The Beirut import cargo loaded on board of Fleur N will be discharged at Damietta. Egypt.

On our other service calling Beirut, East Med Express (EME), vessel APL Norway (Voyage 030S/032N) will also omit Beirut call planned for August 7, 2020, and will instead divert to Tripoli, Lebanon, to discharge the Beirut cargo.

We kindly ask for your patience while we are assessing the situation in efforts to provide a solution for the affected cargo. As a precautionary measure, we are temporarily not accepting any cargo to and from Beirut.

As soon as there are new developments, we will share them with you and reopen booking accordingly. We apologize for any inconveniences, which have occurred or will occur in the future due to this terrible accident.

At this moment our hearts and thoughts go out to the people of Beirut – especially to all those who have lost family members and friends.