USA: Dock workers and New Yorkers react to the sale of a Newark, New Jersey port to a UAE company

Record ID: 858190

  • Title: USA: Dock workers and New Yorkers react to the sale of a Newark, New Jersey port to a UAE company
  • Date: 24th February 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALICIA ROSS SAYING: "Why should we let foreign countries run our ports when we can run our own ports. To me, it seems like there's some sort of other motivation." (SOUNDBITE) (English) EDDIE KLEID SAYING: "I'm not so much worried about the security screening of employees here, but you have a foreign country, an Arab country, not that there's anything wrong with that, but somebody that's maybe linked to terrorism and they have access to diagrams and plans and procedures and you don't know who they're hiring over there." (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED NEW YORKER SAYING: "Our own government should be running our own ports and let their government run their ports."
  • Embargoed: 11th March 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Industry,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAC7GZ8BIFE8UIMFJPKCS31US3O
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Workers at New Jersey's Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT) were sceptical of the deal that would place management of their port, and five other major U.S. ports, in the hands of a state-owned Arab company.
    PNCT is partly owned by P&O Ports, a British company who which recently sold management of ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia to state-controlled Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates.
    Despite comments by U.S. President George W. Bush that there is no viable reason that the deal should not go through, powerful Washington lawmakers, citing security concerns, pushed for emergency legislation to block the controversial deal.
    One worker at the PNCT site, Eddie Milara, said that many workers were against Dubai Ports World's acquisition of the port. He said, "I don't think it's the greatest idea because it's basically giving up a company to an enemy. If we didn't have a history with them, then it would be a different story, but that's basically how I feel. I don't feel comfortable."
    Another employee, Annungiea Riccardo simply said, "I don't like that they sell the port to these people."
    U.S. ports are considered vulnerable since the Sept. 11 attacks; U.S. seaports handle 2 billion tonnes of freight a year of which only about 5 percent of containers are examined on arrival.
    The port sale made headlines in New York, as the deal became a hot topic among New Yorkers. Many were confused why any foreign body should have control over U.S. ports.
    Alicia Ross thought that Dubai Ports World should not control the near-by ports. She said, "Why should we let foreign countries run our ports when we can run our own ports. To me, it seems like there's some sort of other motivation."
    And New Yorker Eddie Kleid agreed. He said, "I'm not so much worried about the security screening of employees here, but you have a foreign country, an Arab country, not that there's anything wrong with that, but somebody that's maybe linked to terrorism and they have access to diagrams and plans and procedures and you don't know who they're hiring over there."
    P&O shareholders last week approved Dubai Ports World's $6.8 billion USD takeover, which would create the world's third-largest ports group.
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