Governor John Carney on Thursday praised the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Capital Improvement to move forward with a deal that would expand the Port of Wilmington:
“Thank you to members of the Bond Bill committee for endorsing the transaction to expand the Port of Wilmington and invest in good-paying, blue-collar jobs for Delawareans. The port has long been one of Delaware’s most important employment centers,” Carney stated. “This expansion agreement will result in significant new investment that will allow the Port to create new jobs and compete over the long term. I urge members of the Delaware House of Representatives and Delaware Senate to take up and pass a concurrent resolution that will allow this transaction to move forward.”
A preliminary agreement was announced with Emirates-based Gulftainer to lease the Port of Wilmington from the State, construct a new container shipping facility on the Delaware River, and expand jobs at the Port over the next decade.
Under terms of the preliminary agreement, Gulftainer’s subsidiary GT USA would make annual royalty payments to the State of Delaware reaching an estimated $13 million over the next decade.
New cranes go up at Port of Wilmington
The company agreed to spend 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, which was acquired by the state’s Diamond State Port Corporation in 2016.
The transaction must still be approved by members of the General Assembly.
Scattered opposition has cropped up over the lease deal, due to concerns over security and management of the port by a company based in the Middle East.
A California congressman has asked the Trump Administration to review the Wilmington lease.
