Beirut Port freight activity narrowed to around 439 thousand tons during the month of March 2021, down from 457 thousand tons in the previous month. On a cumulative basis however, freight activity improved by 12.39% y-o-y to 1,271 thousand tons during the first quarter of 2021, from 1,131 thousand tons during that same period last year. However, the number of vessels dropped by 19.85% y-o-y to 311, while the number of imported cars expanded by 1.75% annually (73 cars) to 4,246, yet said figure remains significantly pale in the light of the USD liquidity shortage that is straining import activity. In a related context, the Beirut port handled containers with a total cargo capacity of around 159.608 thousand TEUs (including transshipments) in comparison with a cargo capacity of some 222.573 thousand TEUs in the first quarter of 2020. Finally, Beirut port revenues fell by 5.21% on an annual basis to just below $28 million during the first quarter of 2021.