“At this stage, the preliminary toll shows two seriously injured and many minor injuries. One member of our staff at the port is currently missing. We are doing our utmost, in collaboration with the local authorities, to find him,” CMA CGM stated.

The headquarters of the group in Lebanon, located a few hundred meters from the site of the blast, was severely damaged.

The 11,400 TEU CMA CGM Lyra container, which was in storage in the port of Beirut on Tuesday night, was not affected some 1.5 kilometers away from the explosion and none of its crew was wounded in the blast, CMA CGM said.

CMA CGM and its subsidiary CEVA Logistics have provided logistics and maritime support to the Lebanese and French Governments in response to the emergency situation.

“In order to maintain business continuity, the Group has organized 3 recovery sites, of which two are in Beirut and one in Tripoli. Finally, we would like to salute the solidarity expressed by the Group’s staff members and partners around the world,” CMA CGM noted.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) also expressed condolences to those affected by the explosion.

“We want to communicate that our staff and their families are safe, and that no MSC seafarers were in the port at the time of the explosion. We are grateful to report that our staff are currently able to work remotely from home and that no MSC vessel was in the port at the time of the explosion,” the company said.

The explosion is believed to have originated from a chemical storage facility where an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate is ignited. The content was reportedly seized in 2013 from Rhosus, a Moldovan-flagged cargo vessel that failed to monitor the port state inspections.

Maritime Business World