Claim Considerations Related To The Beirut Port Explosion – Part 1

In this two-part series, our Dubai partner, Daniel Thorpe, writes about the claim considerations related to the Beirut port explosion on 4 August 2020.

On 4 August 2020 at approximately 18:00 local time, an explosion measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale ripped through Beirut with mushroom cloud shockwaves causing damage for several kilometres around.

Lebanon was my last business trip prior to the COVID-19 lockdown in February. I was dealing with a Political Violence Business Interruption claim, following the protests which took place in October 2019. Whilst the current concentration is obviously on the terrible loss of life and immediate humanitarian concerns, the Beirut Port explosion comes at a time when the country was already reeling from political and economic instability, and the effects of COVID-19.