Deloitte Port Advisory

Port Advisory

Ports are entering a paradigm with exponential developments in technology, demography, economy and society. Global trends have a significant impact on the port and its operations ask for reflection and agility. Deloitte Port Advisory has a strong track record and proven methodologies to assist port authorities in an industry that is on the move.

Ports are traditional concentrations of petro-chemical industrial activity. Given the ongoing industrial restructuring towards renewable energy and circularity to fight greenhouse gases, ports necessarily need to adapt in order to survive and hold on to the thousands of jobs and the added value that is created in the port area. The energy transition provides ports with plenty of opportunities to bring new activities and employment to the port area. Leading ports are becoming centres of the offshore wind energy sector or build refineries that transform urban domestic waste into electricity/heat or even chemicals. Port authorities have an important role to play in this transition. This however requires port authorities to be more than a landlord and work together with governments and scientific organizations.

Port strategy

Deloitte Port Advisory supports ports to develop strong visions and identify strategies that gives a port sustainable advantage over its competitors and provides superior financial returns over the long-term. Deloitte Port Advisory combines strategic thinking with practical experience in the maritime and transport industry and consider both current and future factors. We assess external and internal driving forces and evaluate the upside and downsides of scenario’s influencing the strategic direction of a port. It is our firm believe that any strategy should answer five interrelated questions leading to a sustainable advantage over the long-term: what are our goals and aspirations, where will we play, how will we win, what capabilities must be in place and what priority initiatives?

Port and waterfront (re-)development

Urbanization and maritime industry trends result in changing functions of many inner-city port areas. Port areas surrounded by residential and office locations are regenerated and transformed into new, vibrant living and working spaces. Renowned examples of extensive waterfront developments include London’s Canary Wharf, Kop van Zuid and Makers District in Rotterdam and Hamburg’s HafenCity. Deloitte Port Advisory has a broad experience in complex area development transformations and is involved in several large waterfront development projects. For this, we combine skill sets in feasibility studies, process management, financial modeling, risk management, PPP advisory, financing and tender support.

Creating synergies between port and city

Ports and cities have long been developed as separate entities and ecosystems. Today, port areas and cities are merging / mixing, becoming integrated ecosystems of economic activity spanning a large, extensive geographical area not limited to administrative boundaries. Whilst each port specializes in specific aspects of the ecosystem, it is the entire ecosystem that makes ports competitive. Developing and nurturing various aspects of the port ecosystem directly contributes to port agility and port competitiveness. These aspects include economic, physical and networking assets of the ecosystem and Deloitte Port Advisory identified various strategies to strengthen port ecosystems.

Port transaction advisory

We believe that a proper transaction strategy and process is the basis for successful execution, whether it be a public or private transaction. From a public authority’s perspective, the transaction process involves determining and designing the transaction strategy, the preparation and execution of the tender process and the concession and contract negotiation with the (private) bidders. From a private investor perspective, a transaction that contributes towards a company’s strategic goals requires sound preparation and evaluation of the tender process, an optimal bidding strategy and strong negotiation of the concession contract.

PPP in ports

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are common, especially in areas such as port re-development and infrastructure. A great deal of preparation and planning is required for a successful PPP. Additionally, sufficient commitment, effective communication and watertight contracts are other essential success factors. In our experience, allocating risks to those parties with the best ability to manage those risks is the key to realizing true value for the public sector. Deloitte Ports Services has extensive international experience with the design, implementation and process management of PPPs. Through tested methodologies and practical guidelines, we can add value to any PPP initiative. A successful PPP involves clear communication between all parties, management of potential conflicts of interest, financial modeling, risk assessments, management of the bidding process, final negotiations and contract management.

Economic impact assessment

Insight in economic value and impact of policy intentions and investment projects provides a powerful basis for decision making. Economic impact assessments help businesses quantify the impact of policy intentions / investment projects on and contribution to the economy and provides a basis for assessing policy settings and the economic environment to understand future impacts on their business to support decision making. By providing insights in direct, indirect and induced effects (including GDP, employment and local taxes), Deloitte Port Advisory provides objective and transparent inputs for decision making purposes.

Valuation

Ports and terminal operators hold very specific real estate and assessing the value of this requires a thorough understanding of the ports business. Deloitte Port Advisory has extensive experience with assessing the value of specific real estate classes, including port assets and terminals.