PSA International and DP World, two of the world’s largest terminal operators, are said to be in talks with Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Port to compete for bids over the operation of mega-ship berths that are under construction at its Container Terminal 7, according to Seatrade Maritime.
PSA International has been involved with its own mega-terminal project, officially announcing the opening of its US$2.6 billion Pasir Panjang Terminals, phases three and four.
Wang Pai Feng, Harbour Master of the Port of Kaohsiung, said: “We are already in talks with some international lines such as those from the G6 Alliance and 2M, and international operators like PSA and DP World,” adding that he hoping to attract investment from the international players.
Wang continued that all the five berths can potentially be operated by international players if they are interested and win the bids.
The remaining two and a half berths will be completed under phase two with a total investment of $1.05 billion.
PSA International has recently signed a joint-venture agreement to operate a new container terminal at Qinzhou City, Guangxi Province, China.
DP World is among the operators continuing with their financial investment, having previously pledged to up their spending by 14% in 2015 from $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion.
PSA International was announced as ‘Best Global Container Terminal Company’ at the recent Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain Awards in Hong Kong. Its total TEU throughput exceeded 61 million in TEU, while DP World handled around 55 million TEU.