The battle for rights to develop and operate the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal took a twist yesterday, with Hutchison Whampoa warning it may boycott the completed terminal.
Hutchison said the boycott would stand if the deal was awarded to New World Infrastructure's consortium and it then charged excessive barge fees.
This would make the terminal largely redundant.
Hutchison and its partners in a rival consortium for the lucrative contract claim to have a virtual monopoly on the Pearl River delta barge operating business.
Hutchison International Ports Holdings managing director John Meredith said his company, along with consortium partners Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), Cosco Pacific, and Jardine Matheson Holdings, operated close to 100 per cent of the river delta barge trade.
He warned that if the fees were too high, Hutchison would weigh up the charges and consider cheaper alternatives.