Beirut Port freight activity receded to around 446 thousand tons during the month of September 2024, down from 459 thousand tons in the previous month. On a cumulative basis, freight activity rose by 3.94% y-o-y during the first nine months of 2024 to 4,105 thousand tons up from 3,949 thousand tons a year earlier. The number of vessels increased by 12.30% year-on-year to 1,141 in comparison with 1,016 a year earlier, while the number of imported cars contracted by 24.56% to 31,808 cars as people flocked in early 2023 to buying cars ahead of any increases in the applicable exchange rate on custom fees. In a related context, the Beirut port handled containers with a total cargo capacity of around 575,424 thousand TEUs (including transshipments) up to September 2024 in comparison with a higher cargo capacity of some 621,781 thousand TEUs in the same period last year.