White House Approves P&O Sale

The US terminals owned by P&O number six; New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia. The Senator seeking to introduce such legislation, Robert Menendez, explained his objections thus: “We wouldn’t turn border patrol or the customs service over to a foreign government, and we can’t afford to turn our ports over to one either.”

Potential security concerns have divided Washington, with lawmakers asking the White House to reconsider its decision. The port of Philadelphia has recently been designated to receive US military goods and is the source of much discussion.

The body reviewing the sale, the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment, commissioned intelligence reports from various agencies before reaching their decision. An official from the Homeland Security Department emphasised that it was crucial to focus on the company itself rather than what part of the world they hail from.