GT USA Wilmington marked its fifth year of operation at the Port of Wilmington by citing record volume and a continuing commitment to building a container port at Edgemoor.
The report comes as a state representative and port board member cited concerns about a lack of transparency and a missed lease payment.
Through August 2022, tonnage and labor hours increased 41% and 15%, respectively, over the same period last year, a release stated.
(See map below for the location of the proposed container port)
Joe Cruise, CEO said, “The last nine months have seen record volumes and employment at the Port. We are actively recruiting more employees to support our growing operations. I want to thank each employee for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to our customers. Our efforts continue to be devoted to providing excellent service to our current customers at the port, growing new business, and the development of Edgemoor.”
A release from GT reported that the board of directors of the Diamond State Port Corp. has been reconfigured. The board is now composed of three independent directors: Tim Pohl, Michael Sullivan and Mike Jackson. Pohl, who has been serving on the Board along with Sullivan, will serve as Chairman of the Board. Jackson is a former director of the Office for Management and Budget for the State of Delaware.
Securing the capital to develop Edgemoor is a central priority for GT USA. Edgemoor will expand capacity, create even more jobs, and highlight Wilmington as an economically attractive import and export hub, according to a release.
Click here for previous Delaware Business Now stories on the port
Pohl stated, “The board would like to highlight the excellent results achieved by the GTW team and union labor at the Port of Wilmington and we look to build upon their success. I am also excited to lead the forthcoming capital raising process to position the new port of Edgemoor for a bright future.”
Five years ago, GT USA signed a 50-year agreement to manage operations at the Port of Wilmington. This agreement marks Gulftainer’s second venture in the United States and follows the signing of a 35-year agreement with the Canaveral Port Authority in Florida.
The port, a leading importer of fruit and produce, has faced challenges that included the Covid pandemic, along with disputes over the sale of a cargo-handling firm and access to a fuel supplier.
There have also been concerns about the status of the Edgemoor site. The State of Delaware purchased the site from Chemours. A titanium processing plant at the site was razed.
A nearby roofing plant was closed and demolished, with the owner stating that it had no options to replace the obsolete facility since the state was reserving the Chemours site for the container port.
Community concerns have also surfaced. State Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred, wrote a letter to Gov. John Carney and Secretary of State Jeff Bullock over a lack of community updates on the container port and the report of a missed lease payment by GT USA this year.
Delaware Online/New Journal, which has done extensive reporting on the issues facing the port with a free-lance investigative reporter, noted in story that Heffernan is a member of the Diamond State Port’s Board of Directors.
The letter also mentioned a report that ground could be broken on the container port late this year.
The port on the Delaware River would allow containers to be unloaded at a location convenient to Interstate 495 while shortening voyages to upriver cargo facilities in Philadelphia.
Upriver ports have claimed the Edgemoor port got favored treatment in receiving permits.
GT USA is owned by Gulftainer, an Emirates-baed port operator.
The Port of Wilmington is located on the Delaware and Christina rivers.
The port annually generates $436 million in business revenue, $409 million in personal income and $41 million in local taxes.
The port provides blue-collar jobs that have disappeared over the years in Delaware.
