I believe that he meant "manage". Does that enlighten you? Seems rather synonymous to me. I do believe that the British Company did in fact "handle" those six ports.
Do you really believe that the British Company handled (managed) the Ports of New Orleans, Philadelphia, Newark .... ? And is now selling that so cheaply?
Ignorance is like a dog with a bone. Again:
No private company currently manages any U.S. port. Rather, private companies such as P&O and DP World simply manage and operate individual terminals within ports.
I don't see the word "handle" in there.