Court forces out Bahamian port chairman

Court forces out Bahamian port chairman A Supreme Court justice in the Bahamas has barred the chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Ltd. and threatened him with jail time when he did not comply with the order during the first 24 hours, according to a report in the Bahama Journal.
   Port authority chairman Hannes Babak was ordered to step aside and appointed two accountants Clifford Culmer and Miles Culmer as receivers and managers on a temporary basis until a legal dispute over control of the port authority and Port Group Ltd. is settled.
   The battle is a dispute between Sir Jack Hayward, one of the owners of the port, and members of the family of the late Port Chairman Edward St. George, who was the long-time partner of Hayward's. Edward St. George died in 2004. The two sides disagree over the ownership stakes in the operation.
   Port Group Ltd. is the landlord for the site of the Freeport Container Port, but the terminal itself is owned by Hutchison Ports with minority owner Mediterranean Shipping Co., reports said. The container port is independent of other port operations.