Public hearing set for proposed Delaware port deal

(AP) — State lawmakers are encouraging Delaware residents to weigh in on a proposal to allow a private corporation to operate the Port of Wilmington.

Gov. John Carney last week announced a preliminary agreement with the Gulftainer Group to lease the Port of Wilmington from the state and construct a new container shipping facility on the Delaware River.

A hearing to discuss the proposal will be held Friday morning on the Wilmington Riverfront.

Gulftainer Group is the largest independent, privately-owned port operator in the world.

Under terms of the preliminary agreement, a Gulftainer subsidiary would make annual royalty payments to the state and agree to invest more than $580 million in the port over the next nine years, including approximately $410 million for a new container facility at DuPont’s former Edgemoor site.