Gov. Bob McDonnell broke his silence Friday on three separate unsolicited proposals to run the Port of Virginia well into the second half of this century but offered little insight into which way he is leaning.

Speaking in Richmond at a special session of the state legislature, McDonnell said that the Commonwealth needs to determine whether “there are any circumstances that make policy and economic sense” to dump the port’s private operator of some 30 years, Virginia International Terminals, in favor of another group.

It then needs to decide if one of the bids is “as compelling and so good a deal for the taxpayers of Virginia and for the maritime community that it makes unequivocal sense that an operating lease change is necessary.”

The bids come from Maersk subsidiary APM, Carlyle Infrastructure Partners and RREEF America, part of the Deutsche Bank Group.

The estimated value to the state of the trio of deals range from up to $2.1 billion over 48 years for CIP, $3.9 billion over 48 years for APM, to up to $4.661 billion over 50 years for RREEF, while each offer also has its own particular nuances.

McDonnell pressed that the choice is not between a public and a private port. “It’s already a hybrid model where we own it but have a private operator, and the choice is which private operator, if we want to make a change, is the best one to operate (the port),” he said.

The port “is an incredible, great asset staffed by great people that overall do great work,” he said. “But I know that we have got to improve competetiveness, market share, operating efficiencies and some other things.

“Taking a look at some alternatives, to me, is healthy, it’s a good policy, and that’s why we have asked VIT to make their proposal as well, so there are the full range of options.”

Due to the 50-foot depth of channels and, compared to competitors, the ease with which they could be increased to 55-feet, experts say the port is well positioned to capitalize on new locks in the Panama Canal which will see ships sailing to America with over double the cargo volume of the current largest vessels.

“The Panama Canal changes all that in just a couple of years and puts Virginia in an enormously positive position,” McDonnell said, noting that two-thirds of the nation’s population is within 500 miles of Hampton Roads.

The port also has room for expansion, with plans to double the size of technologically advanced APM Terminals Virginia and for a new facility at Craney Island.

McDonnell said, “We have virtually unlimited capacity. The acquisition through that lease of the APM facility gives us not only the most efficient port in North America, but a land mass that is equal to the current size … that is currently unused.”

He also said that the decision would take a lot of work over the next six months, with input from port leaders and economists.