Our Motivation

Why are we doing this?

We have been involved in various roles in and around the port of Beirut since 2002 and have developed a strong bond with not only the port but the people of Beirut as well. Our key experts, as well as our partners, have old, strong links to Lebanon and its citizens and we are personally engaged and passionate about helping a magnificent country in this troubled time, to rise from its ashes, back to where it truly historically comes from. We want to use our core skills and experience to help this happen.

We have proven expertise and a strong concept for rebuilding the port and the surrounding area to ensure a prospering economy and improving the quality of life for the Lebanese people.

We believe that the Lebanese people have what it takes to get out of this crisis.

Why this way?

Our proposal does not focus on reinstalling the status quo. Even without considering the explosion, the current location of the port is not suitable for a long-term and prospering development due to environmental impacts on Beirut city.

As terrible as it was, the explosion has provided a one-time, unique opportunity to think radically new, hence we propose to shift the port West to open the port and provide space for an environmentally friendly and efficient state-of-the-art port.

This consequentially gives the newly freed historical port space and the resultant access to the ocean. The people of the city will gain access to the ocean by means of social housing, parks, and public access to the beaches close to the city centre. This would also then provide funding to rebuild the destroyed parts of the city, no one will be displaced or pushed out, but new open space will be created.

The major advantage of this proposal is that through the entire concept together, the project is self-funded, bringing in new foreign investors with foreign exchange. At the same time, it will avoid dependency on international aid and loans from the donor organisations, which lead to further indebtedness of the country. The realisation of our proposal will create up to 50.000 new jobs, generating an additional income of an estimated USD 25 bn over 30 years.

What are we doing?

Secure it

Our team has been involved in Beirut since very shortly after the explosion. 

• Identification of hazardous containers, including how to handle and safely remove these goods and
• Ensure all potential other risks are identified and neutralised
• Evaluation of what needs to be salvaged, cleaned, and removed
• Establishment of requirements of legal and transparent salvage and destruction principals
• Ensuring various types of rubble and waste are consolidated in stacks prepared for removal.

Clean it

• Removal and disposal of 59 containers containing highly hazardous chemicals
• Neutralisation of all risks within the rubble in the port area
• Removal of all types of rubble,
• Securing structures where possible or identifying which must be removed and how to safely do this
• Removal of wrecks from the port
• Ensure the port is de-risked and open for development
• Engineering studies for the redevelopment of the port area including future port areas.

You are welcome to check the line of activities at the "Event" for more details.

Fix it

We need to bring the current port back to an acceptable working level, ensuring that the port works at least as well as prior to the explosion. This means we need to:

• Ensure the container terminal processes are optimised in line with modern international standards, and able to be upgraded to ultramodern when the time comes
• The terminal equipment maintenance programs are restarted, and all equipment is functioning and maintained with a functioning predictive maintenance strategy
• Create temporary stores for goods, including temporary warehouses and cargo routings as well as hazardous and sensitive cargo management programs
• Ensure no dumping or long-standing of containers or cargos within the port areas. We do not want this to start again
• Ensure that the customs processes are improved and that they are transparent and show good governance
• Start future port planning, understanding the levels and types of digitalisation and automation needed including quick wins that can be implemented
• Design state of the port layout.

Build It

By taking the following actions:

• Final design and terminal apportion in the future port layout
• Stabilisation and development of project area infrastructure including data and utilities
• Stabilise and apportion Bouch Hammoud landfill and prepare for further building
• Tender and oversee the development of new terminals, including ensuring fair tendering for best operators to ensure most competitive and modern facilities in each case
• Oversee interactions between terminals and between terminals
• Training of new modern port authority persons to ensure standards of the port are maintained
• Oversee modern port community is developed with related and linked systems.

Pay It

Right from the start of the project Transparency and Good Governance are key guiding principles and crucial for the success of the project. To ensure this, the project will require that governance structures are put in place by the Lebanese government to allow the project to then:

• Set up controlling trust fund with international organisations as board members with a specific mandate and initial lifespan
• Management and control of relevant areas and facilities transferred to the trust fund for defined period of trust
• Transparent governance structure with clear reporting, inclusive for all
• Urban development to be designed, apportioned, and tendered locally and internationally
• Overview by trust of a structured and interactive development of the urban portions
• Overview by trust of the redevelopment of heritage and destroyed homes
• Development of long-term trust benefits planning to Lebanese civil society, e.g. scholarships, building loans, etc.

How will we do it?

The key differentiating element of our concept is the self-funding principle: generate income streams on its own by selling newly built real estates on that ground formally used by the port only to be reinvested in the realization of the port and the reconstruction of the damaged city.

Development activities should be guided by a development company under international auspices. For good governance and transparency to ensure the security and just handling of the funds for the project, the management of the overall project and funding will be placed under an international trust including global organisations and institutions to ensure corruption is avoided and all profits gained from the real estate development can only be used to finance the rebuilding of the port and damaged city. 

The project will be highlighted by a high degree of interaction at all levels in society, including dialog with Beirut citizens and civil society to consider the interests of Beirut people.