The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA) reports that, as of the Friday, November 14 deadline for submissions, the quality and quantity of responses expressing interest in developing the Authority’s three “Southport” waterfront parcels have met and exceeded the Authority’s expectations. The Request for Expressions of Interest (R.E.I.) was issued October 1 and invited members of the maritime-industrial community to submit development concepts for the three waterfront sites collectively known as the Southport complex: the Southport Marine Terminal (119 acres); the Southport West Terminal (75 acres); and the Pier 124 North Berth, a 1,132 foot long finger pier. PRPA has already completed substantial pre-development work at the three facilities, especially in the area of improving access, in anticipation of a private operator or operators establishing operations at the sites. “We were truly gratified at the level of responses to our request for expressions of interest,” said PRPA Chairman Charles G. Kopp, Esq. “We’ve been well aware of the potential for Southport for quite some time, and it’s now clear that we weren’t alone in that assessment. The breadth and quality of the proposals we received make us very optimistic about Southport’s future.” 16 respondents submitted proposals for one or more of the three Southport sites, with all three sites receiving multiple expressions of interest from the respondents. The 16 respondents were Atlantic Realty; Global Auto Processing Services (GAPS); Katoen Natie Group; Liberty Property Trust; MarkWest Energy Partners; OHL Infrastructure, Inc.; Philadelphia Energy Solutions; Walsh Construction; Anthony Bruttaniti, representing the Philadelphia Global Trade Center, LLC; Holt Logistics Corporation; Liberty Energy Trust; LNG America; Navigator Gas LLC; Penn City Investments & Affiliated Companies; T. Parker Host; and WesPac Midstream LLC. PRPA will now begin the process of evaluating the responses, with the hope of ultimately recommending one or more of the above firms to the PRPA Board of Directors, which will make the final selection of a company or companies to develop and operate the Southport sites. Authority officials aim to move the process forward promptly and in an efficient manner. “Unlike most other U.S. ports, which face major limitations when seeking additional land to grow, the Port of Philadelphia has hundreds of acres of prime space along the Delaware River to expand our operations,” said Chairman Kopp. “Our hope is that the current Southport initiative will bring about a partnership between PRPA and one or more private firms to fulfill our potential for expansion and economic growth. These quality responses bring us a major step closer to turning that potential into reality.” PRPA will provide further updates on the evaluation process as appropriate.