Comments on: Now Everybody Cares About The Ports

By: bargeman

bargeman — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:54:25 +0000

Maersk has just opened up a terminal in Mobile. They don’t even have to bring ships to the East Coast that come from China.

By: BIN News Editorial Staff

BIN News Editorial Staff — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 02:08:24 +0000

What everyone wants is detail on the SLED beat down squad.

By: BIN News Editorial Staff

BIN News Editorial Staff — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 02:07:17 +0000

What everyone wants is details on the SLED beat down squad.

By: Elmo

Elmo — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Here is how the Port of Los Angeles leases out their terminals – and holy cow- they make everything public and on the record.

Sic Willie,
Could it really be this dam simple to do?

http://www.portoflosangeles.org/DOC/POLA_Leasing_Policy_1st_Amendment.pdf

Once a Qualified Tenant is approved by the BHC, information pertaining to
the competitive selection process, responses, and evaluation results will be
posted publicly on the Portâ€™s website. Further, in the competitive selection
document all proposals submitted as well as correspondence will be made
public on the Portâ€™s website.

By: Earl Capps

Earl Capps — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:56:23 +0000

Nice to see someone cares. Just wish someone cared when it actually mattered.

By: fitsnews

fitsnews — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:55:43 +0000

Jeffrey,

No we are not.

First of all, the vast majority of Port employees are already unionized, and we think we’ve made our position on unions pretty clear in the past.

As for SSA, it should be free (like Maersk or any other company) to engage in a competitive bidding process with the the state to determine if their proposed partnership should be implemented.

No one is taking ownership of these facilities or control of their destiny away from the state, and at the end of the bidding process the state would retain the right to insert whatever conditions in the contract it wanted.

All we’re saying is let the state lease the facilities to private management.

-FITS

By: Lowcountry

Lowcountry — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:39:24 +0000

The most viable shipping terminals in the world today are run by the shipping lines themselves or by stevedore companies that are contracted to run the terminal for the lines. You are absolutely correct in your statement that the SCSPA has run this port into second tier status by demanding that themselves have the absolute authority on the docks. Ten years ago Maersk Line wanted to purchase the Wando terminal for it’s hub on the southeast coast. The SCSPA would have none of that relinquishing of power to a costumer. In turn Maersk approach the state of Virginia, who were more than happy to have Maersk run their own terminal. Since then two other shipping lines have approach the SPA about private terminals and were ultimately turned down. They are building as we speak in Jacksonville Florida.

By: Jeffrey Sewell

Jeffrey Sewell — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:33:24 +0000

Are you advocating a SSA unionized public-private venture?

By: Elmo

Elmo — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:08:46 +0000

If you really want to run our port like a business, why not let a private business own it,or lease it, or build it, and run it ? Get government as far away from it as possible.

Here is a simple cost effective plan- offer 2 out of our 3 container terminals in Charleston for sale to private steamship companies. Have them sold or at least rented out within 18 months. Return the proceeds to the state treasury. Allow the SPA to continue to operate one of the terminals and dramatically downsize the SPA.

Let a private company finance and build a terminal in Jasper county.

State taxpayers win- they do not have to spend any money – and money actually flows back into the Treasury – which will make our port an “asset”.

This creates quite a bit of competition without any taxpayer investment.