Beirut Port freight activity rose to around 457.9 thousand tons during the month of May 2023, up from 380.6 thousand tons in the previous month. Moreover, and on a cumulative basis, freight activity increased by 1.91% y-o-y to 2,106 thousand tons during the first five months of 2023 up from 2,067 thousand tons a year earlier. The number of vessels rose to 513 in comparison with 483 a year earlier, while the number of imported cars almost doubled to 26,333 as people flocked to buying cars ahead of any increases in the applicable exchange rate for calculating customs rates. In a related context, the Beirut port handled containers with a total cargo capacity of around 317.034 thousand TEUs (including transshipments) up to May 2023 in comparison with a cargo capacity of some 277.654 thousand TEUs during the same period last year.