Beirut Port overhaul: Lebanon adopts advanced scanning tech to fight smuggling

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi  

Daily losses from smuggling and tax evasion at legal crossings and ports in Lebanon reach $1.5 million. Authorities expect these losses to drop sharply with the upcoming installation of advanced, internationally certified scanners.

At the Beirut Port, there are two inspection lanes: a "red lane" for goods subject to inspection according to criteria set by Lebanese Customs and a "green lane" where cargo often passes unchecked. 

Goods classified as red are moved from the dock to a designated area for manual inspection. This is where the risk lies, as unauthorized or prohibited goods can pass through without being listed on the manifest.

Some imported goods undergo scanning. However, the available scanners are outdated and inspect only 40 containers daily out of the 70 entering the port.

This applies to imports. As for exports to Arab countries, all shipments are scanned following a series of crises Lebanon faced with some countries due to the smuggling of prohibited items.

That is set to change. The Cabinet has commissioned a private company to procure and install state-of-the-art scanners with international specifications. These devices will be positioned directly on the port's docks, scanning containers upon arrival—before they reach the customs yard.

The scanning system will be connected in real-time to a control room operated by Lebanese Customs and linked to the Finance Ministry. Each scanner will be able to inspect up to 100 containers per hour, a significant leap from the current capacity. This will eliminate the need to prioritize certain inspections over others, closing a loophole often exploited for illicit gains.

French shipping giant CMA CGM will remain responsible only for offloading cargo and maintaining the scanners. In the past, scanner breakdowns were allegedly delayed intentionally to obstruct inspections.

Will the new system be able to cross-check automatically manifests from foreign exporters with the scanned contents? Can it reduce the reliance on human inspectors?

The scanner upgrade project was initially proposed years ago by port authorities but faced persistent obstruction in Cabinet due to vested political interests. Now, with a shift in political will and growing international scrutiny, the state is pushing forward.

Ownership of the scanners will revert to the Lebanese state after the expiration of the contract with CMA CGM. Beyond security and revenue protection, the initiative aims to improve Lebanon's global port ranking, crack down on bribery and collusion, and introduce artificial intelligence to a system long plagued by opacity.