Judge rules against Delaware port operator in tariff dispute

By RANDALL CHASE
Associated Press

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A Delaware judge has ruled that the company that runs the Port of Wilmington under an arrangement with the state is not entitled to charge terminal usage fees to the operator of a petroleum offloading operation. The judge also ruled Tuesday that GT USA Wilmington cannot block Buckeye Partners or its customers from accessing an adjacent fuel storage terminal. The ruling comes almost two years after the judge issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting GT USA Wilmington from blocking access to storage tanks that hold gasoline and diesel fuel for distribution to gas stations and convenience stores throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The Wawa convenience store chain accounts for the vast majority of Buckeye’s business at the port.