An expression of interest has been emitted by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority for potential developers to construct a container terminal at an 80ha Delaware River waterfront site at Southport.
Currently there is a deepening project ongoing at the Port of Phillidelphia driven by containerised cargo-growth.
TEU traffic at the port has totalled more than 200,000 in the first 6 months of 2014 – a 29% increase from 2013.
There has been interest in constructing the terminal from Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES).
CEO of PES, Philip L. Rinaldi, told the port authority board that tankers and container ships at Southport “are not mutually exclusive” after International Longshoremen’s Association officials raised concerns that containerised cargo may get squeezed out of the market.
The deadline for expressions of interest is set to November 14, 2014. However, the process could take several months if the Philadelphia Port Authority asks for financial and business planning.
The deepening project is anticipated to be completed in 2017.
