The New York Daily News reports that United Arab Emirates firm DP World has intimate connections with the Bush Administration.

First, Treasury Secretary John Snow was chairman of CSX before joining the Bush Administration. The following year, CSX sold its international port operations to DP World for $1.15 billion. Snow's Treasury Department was in charge of the Committee on Foreign Investment review, required under Exon-Floria, that approved the sale as having no impact on national security. Others include Secretaries of State, Defense, Homeland Security, and Commerce.

Second, David Sanborn manages DP World's European and Latin American operations. The Bush Administration named him to head the U.S. Maritime Administration less than four weeks ago. This key position "report[s] directly to Norman Mineta the Secretary of Transportation and Cabinet Member."

DP World is a young company; it was formed in September 2005 as the merger of two state-owned facilities: Dubai Ports Authority (DPA) and DPI Terminals. DPI's first project was the Jeddah Islamic Port in 1999. From the press release: "In January 2005 DPI transformed its network with the strategic acquisition of CSX World Terminals (CSX WT), the international terminal business of CSX Corporation, renaming itself DP World to reflect the change." This purchase made Dubai Ports the world's sixth largest port operator.

In late 2005, DP World and Singapore's PSA (#2 in the world) were locked in a battle for P&O. It seems P&O's ferry business has been hit hard since the tunnel connecting England and mainland Europe has reduced its traffic. However, most (80% by one report) of its profits come from its port management operations.

Finally, one report refers to the $6.5 billion loan that DP World seeks as the largest "loan facility" ever raised in the Middle East and that 30 banks are expected to participate.

Media continue to underreport the scale of P&O's US operations. News reports have stated affected ports are in Baltimore, Miami, New Orleans, New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. However, P&O claims to be (emphasis added) "the largest independent stevedore and terminal operator on the US East and Gulf coasts with operations in most ports from Maine to Texas." Its website shows seven Texas operations as well as the NY City Passenger Terminal, five minutes from Times Square.

Other coverage: Arab Port Deal Grows in Controversy, US Ports to be Managed by Arab Firm, Bush Cuts Port Security, Bipartisan Howls as White House Quietly Outsources US Port Operations to United Arab Emirates, The UAE Port Deal: Six Reasons to Take a Deep Breath

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