Assessing the impact of the Beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in Lebanon: A pathway to resilience and reform

Lebanon experienced a catastrophe on August 4, 2020, the Beirut Port explosion, which formed a critical point in Lebanese history. The explosion revealed vulnerabilities of Lebanon’s supply chain management and maritime infrastructure. Although various questions and ambiguities have been raised and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nada Jabbour Al Maalouf, Chantal Mouawad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002349
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849229264054910976
author Nada Jabbour Al Maalouf
Chantal Mouawad
author_facet Nada Jabbour Al Maalouf
Chantal Mouawad
author_sort Nada Jabbour Al Maalouf
collection DOAJ
description Lebanon experienced a catastrophe on August 4, 2020, the Beirut Port explosion, which formed a critical point in Lebanese history. The explosion revealed vulnerabilities of Lebanon’s supply chain management and maritime infrastructure. Although various questions and ambiguities have been raised and ambiguity has existed surrounding this incident, slowing down the investigation, in this research, it is examined from the perspective of its impacts on the Port’s infrastructure, operations, and supply chain management. A qualitative approach was adopted, and ten structured interviews for their firsthand experience were conducted with ten major stakeholders. The outcomes mentioned significant financial losses, interruption of logistics, and an immediate need for better crisis management practices, in addition to the role of private industry investments within recovery efforts, with the aim of identifying the critical public–private sector cooperation in operational stability and confidence. Theoretically, the study offers a dynamic resilience model that focuses on operational flexibility, technological adaptation, and strategic diversification to construct supply chain resilience. Furthermore, it is one of the first studies to offer empirical, interview-based evidence on post-crisis maritime supply chain resilience in a developing and volatile country setting. In brief, this study sheds light on the influence of this devastating disaster in the short and long run and offers pragmatic and policy implications to better prepare for the future and be resilient against such unexpected hindrances in the context of the calamity.
format Article
id doaj-art-c46ec54450d84e7883ffd5a5cc46e54f
institution Kabale University
issn 2590-1982
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
spelling doaj-art-c46ec54450d84e7883ffd5a5cc46e54f2025-08-22T04:58:04ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822025-07-013210155510.1016/j.trip.2025.101555Assessing the impact of the Beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in Lebanon: A pathway to resilience and reformNada Jabbour Al Maalouf0Chantal Mouawad1Corresponding author at: Business School, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, P.O. Box 446, Jounieh, Lebanon.; Business School, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, P.O. Box 446, Jounieh, LebanonBusiness School, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, P.O. Box 446, Jounieh, LebanonLebanon experienced a catastrophe on August 4, 2020, the Beirut Port explosion, which formed a critical point in Lebanese history. The explosion revealed vulnerabilities of Lebanon’s supply chain management and maritime infrastructure. Although various questions and ambiguities have been raised and ambiguity has existed surrounding this incident, slowing down the investigation, in this research, it is examined from the perspective of its impacts on the Port’s infrastructure, operations, and supply chain management. A qualitative approach was adopted, and ten structured interviews for their firsthand experience were conducted with ten major stakeholders. The outcomes mentioned significant financial losses, interruption of logistics, and an immediate need for better crisis management practices, in addition to the role of private industry investments within recovery efforts, with the aim of identifying the critical public–private sector cooperation in operational stability and confidence. Theoretically, the study offers a dynamic resilience model that focuses on operational flexibility, technological adaptation, and strategic diversification to construct supply chain resilience. Furthermore, it is one of the first studies to offer empirical, interview-based evidence on post-crisis maritime supply chain resilience in a developing and volatile country setting. In brief, this study sheds light on the influence of this devastating disaster in the short and long run and offers pragmatic and policy implications to better prepare for the future and be resilient against such unexpected hindrances in the context of the calamity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002349Beirut Port ExplosionCrisis ManagementInfrastructure ResilienceOperational DisruptionsSupply Chain Management
spellingShingle Nada Jabbour Al Maalouf
Chantal Mouawad
Assessing the impact of the Beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in Lebanon: A pathway to resilience and reform
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Beirut Port Explosion
Crisis Management
Infrastructure Resilience
Operational Disruptions
Supply Chain Management
title Assessing the impact of the Beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in Lebanon: A pathway to resilience and reform
title_full Assessing the impact of the Beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in Lebanon: A pathway to resilience and reform
title_fullStr Assessing the impact of the Beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in Lebanon: A pathway to resilience and reform
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the impact of the Beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in Lebanon: A pathway to resilience and reform
title_short Assessing the impact of the Beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in Lebanon: A pathway to resilience and reform
title_sort assessing the impact of the beirut port explosion on supply chain management and seaport infrastructure in lebanon a pathway to resilience and reform
topic Beirut Port Explosion
Crisis Management
Infrastructure Resilience
Operational Disruptions
Supply Chain Management
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002349
work_keys_str_mv AT nadajabbouralmaalouf assessingtheimpactofthebeirutportexplosiononsupplychainmanagementandseaportinfrastructureinlebanonapathwaytoresilienceandreform
AT chantalmouawad assessingtheimpactofthebeirutportexplosiononsupplychainmanagementandseaportinfrastructureinlebanonapathwaytoresilienceandreform