Explosion at the Port of Beirut halts port operations
Explosion at the Port of Beirut halts port operations. The disruption ran from 2020-08-04 (4 August 2020) to 2020-08-10 (10 August 2020), 7 days, affecting Beirut. Beirut averaged 0.4 calls per day during the event window against an expected 1.9 (-1.4). Beirut averaged 1.0 calls per day during the event window against an expected 3.8 (-73.6%).
Key facts
- Started
- 2020-08-04 (4 August 2020)
- Ended
- 2020-08-10 (10 August 2020)
- Status
- ended
- Type
- Fire
- Severity
- 3 Significant
- Scope
- port
- Chokepoints
- None
- Ports
- Beirut
- Lanes
- None
- Countries
- Lebanon
- Confidence
- medium: The date of the explosion and the port's reduced capacity are confirmed by a United Nations situation report, while the 2020-08-10 container terminal restart rests on carrier statements reported by two outlets rather than on a port authority statement.
- First reported
- 2020-08-12 (12 August 2020)
- Casualties (official)
- 178 deaths, 6000 injuries, as of 2020-08-13 [s3]
- Severity basis: Port level disruption lasting more than seven days; the United Nations reported the port working at 30 per cent capacity with two quays and five of 16 cranes nine days after the explosion.
What happened
An explosion at the Port of Beirut on 2020-08-04 (4 August 2020) destroyed much of the port and stopped operations at Lebanon's main maritime gateway. The blast followed the ignition of ammonium nitrate stored in a port warehouse. Container lines diverted vessels to Tripoli while the site was cleared. The container terminal, which sits away from the blast centre, restarted on 2020-08-10 (10 August 2020), and two carriers said their services to Beirut had resumed. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on 2020-08-13 that two quays had reopened, that five of the port's 16 cranes were working and that the port was functioning at 30 per cent of capacity. A Lebanese judicial investigation into the explosion has been suspended repeatedly and no trial has taken place.
Measured effect
Port calls, Beirut
- Baseline (expected)
- 3.8 calls per day
- Observed
- 1.0 calls per day
- Change
- -2.8 (-73.6%)
- Standardised score
- -1.4
- Event window
- 2020-08-04 to 2020-08-10 (7 days)
- Baseline window
- 2020-06-02 to 2020-07-27 (56 valid days)
- Method
- wfm-effect-1.0
- Computed
- 2026-09-19 (19 September 2026), data revision 1:777440a75e3b
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Container ship port calls, Beirut
- Baseline (expected)
- 1.9 calls per day
- Observed
- 0.4 calls per day
- Change
- -1.4 (percent omitted, baseline too small)
- Standardised score
- -1.0
- Event window
- 2020-08-04 to 2020-08-10 (7 days)
- Baseline window
- 2020-06-02 to 2020-07-27 (56 valid days)
- Method
- wfm-effect-1.0
- Computed
- 2026-09-19 (19 September 2026), data revision 1:7cb602b84bad
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Timeline
- An explosion at the Port of Beirut destroys much of the port. Reporting attributes the blast to ammonium nitrate stored in a port warehouse. [s2] [s3]
- The container terminal restarts. One carrier reports discharging its first container vessel that day and another says the terminal suffered limited damage and has resumed working. [s1]
- Carriers resume bookings for Beirut after diverting vessels to Tripoli, and the port handles cargo again for merchants. [s1] [s2]
- The United Nations reports two quays open, five of 16 cranes working, two more cranes due back by 2020-08-14, and the port at 30 per cent of capacity. [s3]
- Questioning in the judicial investigation is suspended again after legal complaints seeking the removal of the investigating judge. [s4]
- Six years after the explosion no trial has been held. The investigating judge sealed the case file in March 2026 and referred it to the Court of Cassation. [s5]
Cause
Reporting attributes the explosion to the ignition of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port for years. The Lebanese judicial investigation has been suspended repeatedly by legal challenges brought by officials it sought to question, and no court has ruled on responsibility. Attributed by: Lebanese judicial investigation at the Court of Cassation. [s2] [s4] [s5]
The cause is under investigation.
Resolution
Corrections
No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026).
Sources
- [s1] gCaptain, Container Lines Resume Calls to Beirut as Terminal Restarts Operations, published 2020-08-12 (12 August 2020), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
- [s2] Al Jazeera, Beirut port resumes partial operations a week after explosion, published 2020-08-12 (12 August 2020), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
- [s3] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Lebanon: Beirut Port Explosions Situation Report No. 4 (As of 13 August 2020) [EN/AR], published 2020-08-13 (13 August 2020), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
- [s4] Al Jazeera, Beirut blast probe suspended again as judge issues arrest warrant, published 2021-10-12 (12 October 2021), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
- [s5] Al Jazeera, Six years after Lebanon's Beirut port blast, families fight for truth, published 2026-08-04 (4 August 2026), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)