NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Virginia Port Authority officials are holding a public hearing on proposals to privatize some of the Port of Virginia's operations.

The hearing is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Nauticus in Norfolk.

Three private entities and the port's current operator, Virginia International Terminals Inc., have submitted proposals to the state.

The state Department of Transportation issued a request for alternative proposals in May after APM Terminals submitted an unsolicited one.

The Port of Virginia is the third-largest port on the East Coast. But state officials have been frustrated that it hasn't rebounded from the recession as quickly as its competitors in New York and Savannah, Ga., have.