A debate rages and no one is really explaining the full details of what Dubai Ports World (or DP World for short), based in the United Arab Emirates, is exactly buying that has everyone so upset. Anne Marie Cox describes the confusion:
Was just watching Scott McClellan field questions about the "sale of American ports" to a company based in the UAE. The more one learns about this issue, the more one knows more than the White House press corps about it. Some seem to be under the impression we are handing over the keys to country to men who have just taped good-bye videos and talk fondly of the virgins they hope to meet. No one can even get the terminology straight: is the company controlling ports? Terminals? Security? Shipping? It doesn't seem to matter -- shouting "sold to country with terrorist ties" is fun and easier than trying to understand maritime law.
Earlier this month, DP World agreed to pay $6.85 billion to acquire the Peninsula & Oriental Steam Navigation Company of the United Kingdom, which operates ports around the world, including those in New York, Newark, Miami, Baltimore, New Orleans and Philadelphia.
Today (Feb. 26th) the state-owned Dubai company, DP World, based in the United Arab Emirates, said it had requested a 45-day review involving the American port takeover. The company said it would o create an American subsidiary to operate independently of executives in Dubai as it seeks to quell fears among American critics that links between the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers and the Emirates raised serious security concerns.
Dubai Ports World is one of several Dubai government-linked firms looking for assets to invest in, backed by huge cash piles from the Gulf emirate's oil resources. The $6.8 billion purchase of P&O now makes DP World the third-largest port-operator in the world.
The Council on Foreign Relations said:
What sets DP World apart from other foreign companies controlling terminals at U.S. ports is that DP World is state owned...the only other state-owned shipping company to have leased a U.S. port terminal is the Singaporean company Neptune Orient Lines.
21 P&O Port Facilities in United States-

First, here is information about the six key port facilities -- New York, Newark, Miami, Baltimore, New Orleans and Philadelphia that are involved in the deal:
-- Newark - Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT)
241 Calcutta Street
Newark, NJ 07114
(the third-largest cargo terminal on the property of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey)

Website: www.pnct.net
P&O Ports ownership: 50% (and 50% ownership by A.P. Moller-Maersk, of Denmark)
2004 Volume: 692,845 TEU (equity adjusted)
Primary Cargo Type: Container lift on/lift off
Terminal Area: 180 acres/71.2 hectares
Berth Length: 4,400 ft./1,165 meters
Depth at Berth: 2 x 50’/1 x 45’/1 x 40’
Container Cranes: 2 ZPMC - 50 tons, 4 Fantuzzi - 50 tons, 3 Paceco - 40 tons
Reefer Plugs1: 335
Intermodal Access: Daily connecting service with CSX (Railroad)
M&R: Full service repair facility and reefer shop
Equipment: 64 Straddle Carriers, 6 Reach Stackers, 9 Empty Handlers, 29 Fork Lifts, 59 Hustlers, 10 Bomb Carts, 42 Utility Vehicles, 10 MAFI Trailers


Address 711 12th Avenue
New York, NY 10019
Peninsular & Oriental operates the New York Cruise Terminal.
The New York City Passenger Ship Terminal is owned by the City of New York and operated by P&O Ports North America. It provides five 1,000-foot-long berths suitable for servicing the world’s largest cruise vessels at a convenient location on the Hudson River only a few blocks west of Times Square in the heart of Manhattan. The terminal occupies the West Side of 12th Avenue between 46th and 54th streets.
P&O Ports North America customers include Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Crystal Cruises, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, P&O Cruises, Princess, Radisson Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn and Silversea. The terminal is also home to an array of trade shows and special events managed by P&O Ports North America.
Piers: 88, 90, 92
No. of Berths: 5
2004 volume: 886,351 passengers

website: New York Cruise Terminal

Delaware River Stevedores
3461 North Delaware Avenue
Delaware Avenue at Tioga Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134
Peninsular & Oriental has a half-interest in Delaware River Stevedores, which leases the Tioga Marine Terminal in Philadelphia's Port Richmond.
Philadelphia Regional Port Authority is the state agency that owns Tioga Marine Terminal. Delaware River Stevedores also loads and unloads cargo ships in Camden and Wilmington, and provides stevedoring services at the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal.
Volume at Tioga Marine Terminal: 350,000 tons of cargo a year.
Specialized Cargoes: Containers, refrigerated fresh fruit, paper, plywood, cocoa, beans, autos, palletized, project, breakbulk, and steel
Terminal Area: 96.5 acres (39.1 ha.)
Number/Size of Berths: 6 berths - 3,822 linear ft. (1,164 m.); 1 RO/RO
Draft: 36ft. (10.8 m.)
Number/Size of Storage Warehouses: 4 sheds
1 compartmented 300,000 sq. ft. warehouse (150,000 sq. ft. refrigerated; 150,000 sq. ft. heated)
1 cold storage - 90,000 sq. ft. (8,370 sq. m.) with racked storage for 6,000 pallets
1 heated storage - 97,500 sq. ft. (9,065.5 sq. m.)
1 dry - 40,000 sq. ft.
Reefer Plugs: 180
Cranes: 2 Kocks container gantry cranes: each 45 short tons (40.9 metric tons)
Direct Transfer: Direct to truck/rail; LCL and FCL handling
Equipment: Electric forklifts; semi automatic spreaders; top lifters for containers; 3 toploaders - each 50 tons (45.4 metric tons)
4 fork lifts - each 30 tons
4 fork lifts - each 20 tons
Loading Docks: Canopied loading platforms for 100 trucks
Highways: Immediate access to highways I-95 and I-76
Rail Connections: Norfolk Southern, CP Rail System, CSX
Other Features: Fumigation capabilities for 800,000 fruit boxes a day; trailer offices for customers; 2,000 ft. of rail siding for intermodal COFC transfer
-- Baltimore -P&O Ports Baltimore, Inc.
2200 Broening Highway
Suite 100
Baltimore, Maryland 21224

Dundalk Marine Terminal
Seagirt Marine Terminal
North Locust Point Marine Terminal
Fairfield Terminals
P&O Ports has a contract with the Maryland Port Administration to operate Seagirt Marine Terminal and Dundalk Marine Terminal in Baltimore. These contracts were awarded through a competitive public bid process open to all qualified terminal operating companies.
Seagirt Marine Terminal is the Port's largest pure container facility that is operated by P&O Ports with Evergreen, CSAV and Mediterranean Shipping Company as its main customers. Seagirt has the latest in cargo-handling equipment and systems. The computerized gate complex serves as the nerve center for the 275-acre (112 ha) container terminal.

Dundalk Marine Terminal is located adjacent to Seagirt, and major customers include Atlantic Container Line (ACL), Hapag Lloyd, National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (NSCSA), Nordana, Lykes and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Line. With 13 berths, 10 container and two gantry cranes and direct rail access, the 570-acre (230 ha) terminal remains the Port of Baltimore's largest and most versatile general cargo facility.
No. of Berths: 13 (Dundalk)
Area: 275-acre (112 ha) (Seagirt), 570-acre (230 ha) (Dundalk)
Equipment (as of 2004): 10 Container and 2 Cantry cranes (Dundalk)
P&O Ports ownership: 100%
2004 Volume (equity adjusted): 405,071 TEU (Seagirt & Dundalk)


1007 North America Way
Suite 400
Miami, FL 33132
P&O Ports is a 50% owner (50% by Eller-ITO) of the Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company (POMTOC), which operates the only multi-user container facility in the port, on 117 acres with 12 container cranes.
Port of Miami Terminal Operating Company (POMTOC) has over 10 years of service at the Port of Miami-Dade. POMTOC is now serving over 30 ocean carriers and handling over 500,000 TEU’s annually.
Locations:
POMTOC
Dodge Island
Cruise Terminals
No. of Berths: 7
Berth Length: 1675m
Area: 54.6 ha
Draft: 12.8 meters
Equipment (as of 2004): 7 Post Panamax, 3 Panamax, 2 Super Post
Panamax ordered for 2004
2004 Volume: 301,606 TEU (equity adjusted)
Website: www.pomtoc.com

-- New Orleans - P&O Ports Louisiana, Inc.
601 Louisiana Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70115
Locations:
Nashville Avenue
Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal


P&O Ports ownership: 100%
2004 Volume: 264,893 TEU (equity adjusted)
Terminals: Napoleon Container, Nashville A, B and C and Henry Clay. Gantry container cranes, shore cranes, floating cranes.
Peninsular & Oriental (P&O) also has smaller operations at these ports that will be sold to DP World:
Other Louisiana ports
Texas ports
- Beaumont, TX
- Houston, TX
- Port Arthur, TX
- Galveston, TX
- Freeport, TX
- Corpus Cristi, TX
links:
Bush Administration Sells Port Security To Highest Foreign Bidder [Daily Kos, Feb. 17, 2006]
Port Authority sues over Dubai control of NJ port [Reuters, Feb. 24, 2006]
North American Operations [Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co.]
P&O Ports [Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., London]
Storm rages over ports deal [GlobalSecurity.org]
Dubai firm's bid to run port at Miami challenged [AP, Feb. 19, 2006]
P&O agrees bid from Dubai Ports [BBC, Nov. 29, 2006]
Dubai Ports World [Wikipedia]
notes:
1. Reefer Power Plugs: are used extensively in port terminals and shipboard applications to provide a safe, watertight electrical connection for refrigerated containers.