The state plans to seek proposals for private investment in the Port of Wilmington.
“The Port of Wilmington is continuing to move forward with plans to engage private investment in future expansion efforts. Sometime in the next few days, we’ll be issuing an RFQ to begin the process of identifying qualified potential investors,” said Delaware Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock. Bullock heads Diamond State Port Corp., the state entity that oversees the port.
Diamond Sate Port Corp. recently purchased the former Chemours Edgemoor site for possible expansion and the Riveredge site near New Castle is also a possibility for expansion.
Shippers are looking for ports along the river to handle larger ships, and both the Chemours and Riveredge sites have been viewed as possible candidates for expansion.
The current Port of Wilmington is mainly on the Christina River at its confluence with the Delaware River.
The move for private investment comes as the port sees additional competition from the opening of a new port on the Delaware River in Paulsboro, NJ. It is part of a port operation in southern New Jersey with deep pockets.
The Port of Wilmington previously fought off attempts by the port to get its lucrative fruit business.
In 2013, Diamond State was unsuccessful to have energy giant Kinder-Morgan operate the port, a move that would spur further investment, the state argued.
The effort received a cool response from legislators, fierce opposition from the longshoreman’s union local and by some accounts uneasiness by current shippers at the port.
Since that time, Julius Cephas, the head of the union local has been ousted from his post. He has since filed suit against the union.
The administration of former County Executive Tom Gordon later entered the picture with a proposal for the Riveredge site that had the support of longshoremen.
The Riveredge proposal, at times, seemed to be a challenge to the Port of Wilmington. There was some speculation that the project was part of Gordon’s effort to formulate and economic strategy in preparation for running for governor.
Gordon chose to stay put and was defeated in a bid for a second term as County Executive.
Riveredge remans one of the options for expansion of the port.
In the meantime, the state has invested in the current location and is adding new cranes.
The state has long claimed that it does not have the financial wherewithal to finance a major expansion. In addition, the General Assembly is dealing with a $350 million budget gap that could lead to curbs on capital projects.
