Nearly five months after the state announced that APM Terminals Inc. wants to take over the operations of the Virginia Port Authority’s terminals, the gloves came off in a presentation by an APM executive to a panel of state lawmakers gathered in Portsmouth.

“The Port of Virginia stands at a crossroads that demands immediate attention,” said John Crowley, senior vice president for law and regulatory affairs at APM, who didn’t pull any punches in a direct challenge to Virginia International Terminals Inc., or VIT, the company that APM would replace if its offer is accepted.

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