APM ends contract at Kingston

APM ends contract at Kingston APM Terminals on Saturday concluded its management contract to operate a container terminal at the Port of Kingston, the global terminal operator said over the weekend.
   APM Terminals (Jamaica) Ltd. managed the Kingston Container Terminal since 2001, but decided not to renew the contract.
   'Renewal of the operations contract was not pursued in order to facilitate the port's potential privatization,' APM said in a statement.
   KCT is owned by the Port Authority of Jamaica. Management of the terminal will be transferred back to the port authority.
   'APM Terminals has enjoyed a positive and productive relationship with the Port Authority of Jamaica for the last eight years,' said Alan McCorkle, APM Terminals senior vice president.
   APM made the decision not to renew in September. Kingston is a key transshipment hub in the Caribbean. The port authority is said to be “considering the establishment of a new subsidiary to take over KCT's assets and manage its operations, or it may seek a concessionaire who would be given a 30-year lease on the facility,” according to a September report in World Cargo News.