ICTSI nears 25-year deal for Portland's container terminal

THE Port of Portland has entered talks with Manila's International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) for a 25-year lease of its terminal - without going to competitive bidding, reports the Oregonian newspaper.

Negotiations with a single company are normal, said Sam Ruda, the port's director of marine and industrial development. Port commissioners will also consider the proposal at a public meeting May 12.

Port managers defended the decision to negotiate with ICTSI alone instead of taking competitive bids, said the report. Ten companies qualified for a lease of 50 years during an earlier round of talks suspended in 2008 due to the recession, said Mr Ruda.

Port managers say a private company would do better at marketing and operating the 386-acre container terminal, which has struggled to retain shipping lines in the face of being 100 miles from the sea.

Already, the head of the local International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) had endorsed the scheme. "Why wouldn't we open our arms if they're going to bring business to the region," said Jeffery Smith, president of ILWU's Local 8.

(Source: www.schednet.com)