The port operator runs a business.
Consequently, it seeks to maximize profit, although its primary objective is at least to
achieve a minimum acceptable level of return on operations and investment to be able to
cover its costs and to remunerate its lenders and sponsors. The investments that the operator
makes typically display two special characteristics: they are substantial, indivisible, and have
extended lifetimes, meaning that they can be depreciated and yield a proper return only over
periods frequently exceeding 20 years, and they are “nonrecoverable,” either because they cannot
be physically dismantled (for example, a coffer dam) or because the concessionaire does
not own the infrastructure or equipment in question.