Peter T. Leach | Dec 10, 2009 2:51PM EST
The Jacksonville Port Authority postponed selection of a design and engineering firm for its planned Hanjin terminal because of a disagreement over manning between Hanjin Shipping and the International Longshoremen’s Association.
A technical committee had shortlisted three firms — Halcrow, CH2M Hill and Moffatt & Nichol — for the terminal and was going to present its rankings to the board on Wednesday. But the selection process was delayed after Jaxport received a letter from Hanjin “alerting us that they had some challenges in their union negotiations,” said Nancy Rubin, a Jaxport spokeswoman.
“We decided to let the union and Hanjin to progress to the point not only where everyone is not only comfortable, but we know what is going to be designed,” she said. “It has to be further down the road than it is at this moment.”
The design of the highly automated $208 million terminal at Dames Point will depend on the manning requirements Hanjin is able to negotiate with the union.
Jaxport signed the agreement to build the terminal for Hanjin a year ago Thursday.
Rubin said there have been “more positive” communications from Hanjin since the first letter alerting Jaxport to the impasse over manning. She said Jaxport is urging both sides to “sit down and work it out.”
The postponement in choosing a design firm will not delay construction of the terminal by 2013 because there has been time built into the development process to allow delays, according to Jaxport Chairman David Kulik.