Hutchison Whampoa Ltd's deal to expand its container port network to six new countries will not bring big near term gains in revenue and net asset value, but analysts said it offers good long-term growth potential. Hutchison said on Monday it had acquired the overseas ports arm of the Philippines' International Container Terminal Services Inc., bringing 23 container and general cargo berths in Mexico, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Tanzania and Thailand. The Hong Kong conglomerate, controlled by tycoon Li Ka-shing, has declined to disclose the price, but analyst estimates on the size of the deal ranged from US$240 million to US$542 million. Most estimates were based on the 1999 sale of a 29 percent stake in ICTSI International Holdings Inc (IIHI) for US$70 million to J.P.