Chapter 10 Port Governance and Privatization in the United States: Public Ownership and Private Operation

Owing to its history as a nation fashioned from a federation of relatively autonomous states, port governance in the United States is largely in the hands of those 50 states rather than the federal government. Evolving from accustomed private ownership in the 18th and 19th centuries, seaports in the US are now commonly owned by public agencies, governed by public boards and yet often operated by tenants who are lessees of those agencies. The following discussion unravels the complex ties of governance and privatization in US seaports.