[wanderon]

I keep seeing references to PORT SECURITY and to FORIEGN SECURITY FIRMS in posts about this issue on several boards.

Neither are correct in reference to the takeover of P&O leased properties by the UAE (and international) firm known as DP World.

DP World is in the SHIPPING business NOT the SECURITY business as far as this deal goes. (Altho they may indeed be involved in the security at their OWN port in UAE which would seem to make them a BETTER security risk rather than a poor one)

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the word PORT and the word TERMINAL as well. A PORT - (short for SEAPORT in this case) is the entire collection of numerous TERMINALS and docks in a given location used for private, public and commercial access to the sea. These ports typically include cruise ship berths, marinas, ferry ports, and commercial docks of various types.

What DP World has done was to purchase the terminal operations of P&O. From what I have seen this was done as a result of the shipping business of P&O being taken over by Maersk-Sealand. (Going to the P&O website results in your transfer to the the Maersk site).

At the Port of Los Angeles (Long Beach) Maersk already HAS the largest (and newest) terminal area in the port while the P&O terminal there is quite small by comparison. No doubt this is also the case in many ports where both Maersk and P&O have done business for years. Thus they chose to sell off the P&O physical terminals and DP World an up and coming competitor decided to buy them.

(I have been to and hauled numerous containers in and out of both of these facilities in Long Beach as well as numerous other facilities in this PORT)

PORT SECURITY is handled primarily by the US Coast Guard and US Customs and local organizations usually called _____ Port Authority with the ____ being filled in by the name of the municipailty or state the port is located in. ie: NY Port Authority, PA Port Authority etc.

All commercial and most private shipments of ANY kind entering or leaving the US are controlled and governed by US Customs and entry to and from any US port is under the jurisdiction of both Customs and the Coast Guard and these Port Authoritys. Nothing changes here as a result of this deal.

A TERMINAL is a single docking facility with one or more docks that engages in some sort of commercial business related to ships and is typically "leased" to companies rather than "owned" (ownership generally is retained by the municipality in which the Port exists). It could be a cruise ship line, a container shipping line, a facility for shipping and recieving oil or natural gas,etc etc etc.

A PORT is made up of MANY seperate TERMINALS. DP World has purchased the bulk of P&Os terminals (leases) for the express purpose of expanding their container shipping business. It has nothing at all to do with Port Security and its impact on the overall port in any city might be compared to a company buying Spencers Gifts and taking over thier "portion" of every "Mall". That impact on "Mall security" would be the same as this is on "Port Security"...