Just to update you a little:
On Sunday September 30, 2005 the P&O was in takeover talks with Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the government of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. A bidding war commenced when Singapore's PSA International made a £3.5 billion offer, which Dubai Ports World then topped with a bid of £3.9bn (US$7bn) [3]. (Eventually) the PSA withdrew, and in February 2006 shareholders voted in favour of the offer from Dubai. [4]. The Arab-owned company will become the world's third largest ports operator . (from the Wikipedia)
Sorry for the confusion - it's hard keeping the company names straight - what I am saying is that the port leases are currently owned by British and Dutch companies, so all this talk about FOREIGN OWNERSHIP is already a red herring.