UAE terminal takeover extends to 21 ports

[Clara T]

UAE terminal takeover extends to 21 ports

By PAMELA HESS
UPI Pentagon Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A United Arab Emirates government-owned company is poised to take over port terminal operations in 21 American ports, far more than the six widely reported.

The Bush administration has approved the takeover of British-owned Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. to DP World, a deal set to go forward March 2 unless Congress intervenes.

P&O is the parent company of P&O Ports North America, which leases terminals for the import and export and loading and unloading and security of cargo in 21 ports, 11 on the East Coast, ranging from Portland, Maine to Miami, Florida, and 10 on the Gulf Coast, from Gulfport, Miss., to Corpus Christi, Texas, according to the company's Web site.

<snip>

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, comprised of officials from 12 government departments and agencies, including the National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security, approved the deal unanimously on January 17. "The structure of the deal led us to believe there were no national security concerns," said Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Michael P. Jackson.

http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060223-051657-4981r

[Erika]

1. No foreign agents should operate our ports or borders

Or is there even a U.S.A. anymore? Has the government and corporations sold us out completely?

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Maps of all the ports (map pics at links)

US ports:

http://tinyurl.com/leasn


And Canadian ports:

http://tinyurl.com/lwdzc

[GregD]

3. Get a clue! It's not ports! It's terminals.

Here's the deal for anyone that hasn't worked or otherwise been involved in shipping, just so you understand the confusion.

Let's say you have the Port of Oakland, a place which at one time I had intimate familiarity. Within the port you have many terminals. Each terminal is a seperate operation, and is operated by a seperate entity. This UAE deal involves 21 terminals within 6 ports.

For example, Port of Oakland includes several distinct terminals:
http://www.pcc-cfs.com/streets.html

So when they say "6" versus "21", nothing has really changed, other than in the midst of the hysteria the media is starting to actually grasp details. Now if they might simply talk to someone in the industry and understand some maritime terminology, maybe they can get their collective heads out of their butts.

[Erika]

4. Did you see 60 Minutes tonight?

The role the terminal operators play in inspection is pivotal. Maybe you can get the transcript.

CBS 60 Minutes is considered media, isn't it?

[northzax]

5. actually, it is 21 ports

P&O North America provides some sort of services, from Stevedoring to victualling or terminal operations at 21 different ports in the US.

So they operating a stevedoring service in Corpus Christi, and the entire operation at the Port Of Newark Container Terminal. It is interesting that someone forgot to include P&O Ports North America and subsidiaries in the original reporting on the deal.

[GregD]

6. Don't think so

Wolf Blitzer, regardless of what we all think of him, showed a chart on Friday that illustrated the 21 specific terminal operations within the 6 ports. And no, I didn't see 60 minutes. But there is a huge distinction between "ports" and "terminals" and he was showing specific terminals that were being taken control of.

[w4rma]

7. A map of the 21 *ports*.

http://portal.pohub.com/portal/page?_pageid=169,1,169_82863&_dad=pogprtl&_schema=POGPRTL
credit to Whoa_Nelly, above, btw.

Now, quit trying to confuse people. These are the 21 ports that P&O runs in the U.S. They will all be taken over by the UAE under this deal.

[northzax]

9. well now you are confusing people

P&O provides some services at 21 different ports, they do not run them all.

[w4rma]

11. The UAE is taking over P&O's operations at all 21 ports. Correct? (nt)

[northzax]

12. as far as I know, but P&O does different things at different ports

they don't simply operate terminals, they also provide repair services, stevedoring, victualling, refueling services and others In Rhode Island, for instance, they operate a RoRo service only (roll on, roll off, for automobiles). and in many of those ports, they operate joint ventures with other companies. Check out the map, look at the services, and the percentage of operations they own at each one.

[w4rma]

15. "Yes"? A simple "yes" or "no" will suffice. (nt)

[northzax]

16. well, since you edited the question

after I replied to change the meaning, I can answer that, to the best of my knowledge, yes, the entirety of P&O's operations have been sold, although I don't know the individual terms at any particular port.

but, no, to your original question, the operations of 21 ports haven't been sold, only parts of them.

[northzax]

8. well, I am going off of P&O Ports North America's website

where they claim to have operations at 21 different ports, mostly on the gulf coast and the northern Atlantic coast. here's the link: http://portal.pohub.com/portal/page?_pageid=169,1,169_82863&_dad=pogprtl&_schema=POGPRTL

[peacetalksforall]

10. Does anyone have a list or heirarchy chart of the officials of the 12

departments?

Ask yourself if they can make this decision without approval from higher-ups. Who are the higher-ups? The barons?

How many levels are there to our hidden bosses? The one who are ruining our country?

"The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, comprised of officials from 12 government departments and agencies, including the National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security, approved the deal unanimously on January 17."

We know one is Snow; another is Hadley.

Does anyone believe that no one in the Republican Congress knew prior to Feb 21, prior to Jan 17, prior to last October?

Does anyone believe that our ports should have ever been sold out from under us while our airports are U.S. owned?

Does anyone believe that a foreign owner of the ports can sell out to another owner - who happens to be not just a company, but a country?

Does anyone believe that it is possible to not hate Muslims and still hate this administration?

Was Minetta in on this?

[peacetalksforall]

13. This is a paragraph from the Corporate page of the P & O website:

"P&O Ports’ success and experience in privatization was also the foundation for further international investment by P&O, resulting in it being a world leader in port development and operation today. P&O Ports is an international company managing 21 container terminals and has operations in over 85 ports in 19 countries around the world."

It looks like the 21 could have come from here and without geographical detail.

http://portal.pohub.com/portal/page?_pageid=169,1,169_82831&_dad=pogprtl&_schema=POGPRTL

The P & O map linked above only shows the Gulf and Atlantic. No LAX and SAN.

[Up2Late]

14. Not LBN, this story is from Friday!

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2129420>