"The Brits have been handling the container traffic at these ports (and that's all this is about. It's not "running the ports", "port security", or any of the other buzz phrases that scare you) for years."
And it stinks. This is an opportunity to change things.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9629/
Did you even read the link you posted? The issue is about security, which is a Coast Guard problem, and has nothing to do with a subcontractor moving containers. (Although, Kirkpatrick does say good things about the capabilities that the Hong Kong co. has for security.)