Port authority

In Canada and the United States a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure.

Port authorities are usually governed by boards or commissions, which are commonly appointed by governmental chief executives, often from different jurisdictions.[1] For example, in Canada the federal Minister of Transport selects one board member, the local chief executive one, and the rest of the board are at the recommendation of port users to the federal Minister. In Canada all port authorities have a federal or Crown charter called Letters Patent.

Most port authorities are financially self-supporting. In addition to owning land, setting fees, and sometimes levying taxes, port districts can also operate shipping terminals, airports, railroads, and irrigation facilities.

In Mexico the federal government created sixteen port administrations in 1994–1995 called Administración Portuaria Integral (API) in Spanish, as result of the Ley de Puertos of 1993. These are organized as variable capital corporations (Sociedad Anónima de Capital Variable or S.A. de C.V.), with the intent of creating more private investment in a state owned sector.

Numerous Caribbean nations also have port authorities, including those of Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.[2]

Central and South America also have port agencies such as autoridad and consorcio (authority and consortium).

Contents

Port authorities and districts

The distinction between inland and being marine is occasionally open to discussion. No distinction is made here between river and Great Lakes ports.

Canada

Port authorities

With date of Letters Patent.

Atlantic

  • Belledune, 29 March 2000
  • Halifax, 1 March 1999
  • Saint John, 1 May 1999
  • Sept-Îles, 1 May 1999
  • St. John's, NL, 1 May 1999

Great Lakes

Pacific

St. Lawrence Seaway

Other agencies

Former agency

United States

Charter date in parenthesis.

Atlantic

Gulf of Mexico

Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Seaway

  • Albany Port District Commission (1925)
  • Brown County Board of Harbor Commissioners, Green Bay, WI (1965)
  • Port of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority (1978)
  • Duluth Seaway Port Authority, MN (1929)
  • Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority (1962)
  • Illinois International Port District, Chicago (1955)
  • Indiana Port Commission (1961)
  • Lorain Port Authority, OH (1964)
  • Port of Milwaukee
  • Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, Buffalo (1967)
  • Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority, NY
  • Port of Pittsburgh Commission, Pittsburgh, PA (1992)
  • Port of Oswego Authority, NY (1955)
  • Port of Stockton (1932)
  • Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority (1955)
  • Waukegan Port District (1955)

Pacific

Mexico

Listed from northwest to southeast. API is Administración Portuaria Integral.

Pacific

  • API de Ensenada [7]
  • API de Guaymas [8]
  • API de Topolobampo [9]
  • API de Mazatlán [10]
  • API de Puerto Vallarta [11]
  • API de Manzanillo [12]
  • API de Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacan [13]
  • API de Salina Cruz [14]
  • API de Puerto Madero (Puerto Chiapas) [15]

Gulf of Mexico

  • API de Altamira [16]
  • API de Tampico [17]
  • API de Túxpan [18]
  • API de Veracruz [19]
  • API de Coatzacoalcos [20]
  • API de Campeche [21]
  • API de Dos Bocas [22]
  • API de Progreso [23]
  • API de Quintana Roo [24]

Caribbean

Central America

Middle East

Asia Pacific

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom operators of ports and harbours become de facto Port Authorities under several pieces of legislation. Examples include the:-

See also

References

  1. ^ History of the Port Authority movement and ports governance in the U.S. and Canada
  2. ^ AAPA members

External links