Tel Aviv — Israel’s Finance Ministry has selected five finalists in the tender for the sale of the government’s 100 percent stake in the southern port of Eilat. The winner will be given a 15-year concession to operate the port, with an option for a further ten years. The finalists include Aviation Links Ltd., which is owned by the Ofer family, the controlling shareholder in Israel Chemicals Ltd. (ICL); Maman Cargo Terminals and Handling, controlled by businessman Nochi Dankner; Gold Bond Group Ltd.; Papo Maritime Ltd.; and the Gadot Group, owned by Ampal-American Israel Corp. The finalists have two months to submit their final bids, with a decision expected in early May. Israel’s Anti Trust Commissioner, David Gilo, still has to review the participation of the Ofer-controlled group and of Maman to ensure that a win by either group would not be anti-competitive. Both of the bidders control substantial chunks of the Israeli economy, and recent recommendations by a government-appointed committee have called for sharply reducing the over-concentration of the economy in the hands of a few businessmen. Eilat, Israel’s third largest port, has been handling an increasing share of the burgeoning trade with the Far East. ICL, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of the port’s revenues, ships some 2.5 million tons of potash and other chemicals via the Eilat port. Shipments via Eilat are expected to continue to increase in the coming years. In addition, the government is planning a rail line to Eilat that would include a feeder line from Sdom at the Dead Sea specifically for shipping potash. Senior ICL officials have met with government officials handling the sale to clarify the company’s position. The company had demanded that cargo ships at its terminal in Eilat port be given priority over container vessels, but the government position is that this would reduce the attractiveness of the proposed privatization.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain