Beirut Port freight activity contracted to around 441 thousand tons during the month of August 2022, down from 492 thousand tons in the previous month. On a cumulative basis, however, freight activity increased by 40.42% year-on-year to reach 3,386 thousand tons by end of August 2022. In addition, the number of vessels expanded by 26.38% y-o-y to 776 while the number of imported cars more than doubled to 23,470 as people flocked to buying cars in anticipation of a potential adjustment in custom fees. In a related context, the Beirut port handled containers with a total cargo capacity of around 466.01 thousand TEUs (including transshipments) in comparison with a cargo capacity of some 322.37 thousand TEUs by end of August 2021.