The first section offers a short overview of the economic characteristics of the port sector, its importance, location, and main components. The second describes the nature and content of the reforms, with comments on the previous operational scheme, the main elements of the reform program dealing with decentralization, deregulation, and the sale of activities, and the existing regulatory agencies and mechanisms. The third section describes the areas open to private sector participation at the ports, together with a detailed analysis of each of the arguments used to maintain that it is no longer possible to continue with the privatization of the integral port administrations.