BEAUFORT, S.C. - A divided State Ports Authority board said Tuesday that it would not become involved in a privately run port project, effectively killing the concept for projects it planned in Jasper and Charleston counties.

The 5-3 vote approved a motion from Carroll Campbell III that limits private participation in those projects, The Beaufort Gazette reported for its Wednesday edition.

Jasper County leaders long have argued that a private developer should build a $450 million port project on the Savannah River, but battled with the State Ports Authority, which says it has exclusive rights to develop ports in the state. That argument will be made next month before the state Supreme Court.

In a memo, Campbell argued that the state would give up too much control if private concerns operated a port. At the same time, he said organized labor would gain power. While the state ports now operate efficiently with a work force that combines union members and state workers, privatization would cause more unionization, he said.

"We owe it to South Carolina business and industry to guard against actions that roll out the red carpet for further unionization," Campbell wrote. "Privatization of our public ports means unionization, and that means big trouble," he said.

"I find it very disturbing," Kenneth Riley, president of Charleston Local 1422 of the International Longshoremen's Association told told The Associated Press. "It just seems like for us it spells trouble," he said. "There are evidently people who are really not involved enough in this industry that are constantly picking fights with our organization."

Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, told The Associated Press that Campell's memo suggests he "is completely off his rocker" and his union sentiment "shows his complete ignorance" of the issue. Ships calling on the port in Charleston have union workers and the cargo has long been handled by union workers, he said. "The Longshoremen and unions have done South Carolina a favor by having a union," Ford said. Without them "most of those container ships would be somewhere else," he said.

The port recently had taken a variety of proposals from 11 parties interested in developing the projects in Charleston and Jasper counties. Jasper County had pushed for a landlord-tenant model as a way of resolving the legal dispute. The county called for developing the Jasper port with SSA Marine, which would operate it for 32 years before turning the facility over to the Ports Authority.

Campbell's motion came as the board's responded to the proposals and caught some by surprise. The matter wasn't mentioned on the Ports Authority's agenda.

Board member Tom Davis told The Beaufort Gazette he was outraged and argued against the action in open session.

"I expressed the reasons why I opposed the motion at the board meeting and I don't think it's appropriate to comment further," Davis said.

Jasper County leaders were caught off guard, too.

"First of all it comes as a complete surprise, which is no surprise when dealing with the Ports Authority," County Administrator Andrew Fulghum told the newspaper.

"Just to have something like this appear, when it wasn't on the agenda, when it's becoming a national issue, where we're fielding more calls from congressmen than state officials, I think this action shows that they're stumbling," Fulghum said.