Some projects by Seaport - please click on the buttons on the image map below to view projects by region, or scroll down the page to view a chronological listing.

   

 

Representative Projects Chronological Listing

2011: US Trade Development Administration, Identification of Infrastructure and Capacity-Building Projects, Vietnam. Seaport identified likely future infrastructure and capacity-building projects in Vietnam’s port, rail and intermodal transport sectors.  The project involved analysis of local resources development and regional trade patterns, port traffic and competitiveness, passenger and freight rail traffic levels of service and growth.  The end product was formulation of the technical aspects of future Terms or Reference for future release by US TDA and other US agencies.

2010 – 2011: SPRB, Operations Analysis, Colombia. Seaport is carrying operations analysis to identify the bottlenecks, check the operations organization capabilities and understanding of mixed operations, creating an overview on the operations and creating a “game plan”. The outcome of the operations analysis includes recommendation towards an improvement plan and what could be the next steps for optimization; and modified Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Job Descriptions and possible organizational changes to the operations department (required for coping with the mixed operation).  This assignment is required in order to ensure that the organization and processes are streamlined for the current and future SC operation.

2010:  PD Ports, Negotiations, Migration and Implementation Support of TOS, UK. PD Ports is migrating from its current TOS to a new and more advanced TOS, in this connection Seaport will revise the and produce new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Job Descriptions (JD).  Further, Seaport will train the management and the operations organization ensuring the organization is fully prepared for operations go live. PD Ports is planning on migrating from its current TOS to a new and more advanced TOS. In this connection Seaport was requested to supervise PD Ports in the negotiation with the TOS suppliers and in assisting with drafting and negotiating the Agreements.

2010: Singapore Competition Commission, Review of Block Exemption from Singapore Competition Law for Liner Shipping, Singapore.  Seaport worked as part of a team employed by Singapore Competition Commission and including Hackett Associates and led by GHK to study the potential to renew the block exemption from competition law enjoyed by container shipping companies in Singapore. The work Seaport undertook included the preparation of position papers on the approaches taken in other jurisdictions to continuing, amending or removing the exemption. They were also involved in interviewing shippers and shipping lines as part of an extensive stakeholder consultation exercise.

2010: US Trade Development Administration, Identification of Port and Railroad Infrastructure Projects, Angola. Seaport conducted a definitional mission to ascertain likely future infrastructure projects in the Angola port and railroad sectors.  These were opportunities for US aid and private investment, ranging from construction of new infrastructure and purchasing of new equipment, to training, introduction of new technologies and various operational improvements. The assignment involved analysis of local and regional trade, port competitiveness, levels of service and growth, rail traffic prospects and the status of new rail construction.  Emphasis was on analysis of container terminal operations in Luanda and Lobito, linkages with truck and off-dock operations, port rail infrastructure adequacy and a broad assessment of current port and terminal operations in light of global standards.  The end product was formulation of the technical aspects of Terms or Reference for future release by US TDA.

2010: Scandia Container Terminal, Capacity Constraint Analysis and Evaluation, Sweden. Scandia Container Terminal is challenged by the very long truck turnaround times in the terminal. Seaport was asked to perform an analysis of the operation, the equipment dispatching and the operations planning. Seaport provided exact direction and guidance on how the truck turnaround times can be reduced without additional costs.

2010: Ausenco Sandwell for Confidential Client, Pre-Feasibility Study of Container Terminal, Panama. Seaport conducted market analysis and operations costing as part of a pre-feasibility study of a new container terminal in Panama.  The work included analysis of regional transshipment operations and trading patterns, effects of Panama Canal expansion, evaluation of alternative terminal layouts, operating methods and costs, and identification of candidate lines and terminal operators.

2010: Confidential Client, TOS Supplier Negotiations, Bangladesh. In connection with a new inland river terminal being build south of Dhaka, the Client is looking for a TOS that will have sufficient advanced functions to run a best practice terminal and CFS operation. Seaport was in this connection requested to supervise and guide the negotiations with the TOS suppliers, securing that the Client achieved good conditions and a delivery that lives up the specification material.

2010: PT Pelabuhan Indonesia, Review of Port of Tanjung Priok, Indonesia. The operator of Indonesia’s largest port appointed Seaport to undertake a range of studies that look at the market for the port and development options. Starting with an initial review of the “big picture” options Seaport identified one specific site of particular interest for a major extension of the port. The operator has now extended the work to provide a detailed feasibility study for a proposed development that should add 2 to 3 million TEU of additional container handling capacity to the port in the next five years.

2010: Container Terminal, Gothenburg Port, Management Coaching, Sweden. In connection with the new organisation structure recommended by Seaport, Seaport was requested to coach the container terminal management team in the fine-tuning of the organisation structure, responsibility split, and communications.

2009 – 2010: Picerne Developments, The Development of the Port of the Americas, Puerto Rico. Picerne Developments.,a major real estate developer, appointed the Seaport to examine the feasibility of taking over expanding and operating a port close to land they own in Puerto Rico. The work involved developing a traffic and tariff forecast for the port, identifying a strategy through which they could bring partners with additional sector expertise into their team and finally assisting them to implement that strategy. Picerne are now in discussions with terminal operating companies related to the potential to develop the port.

2009-2010:  Namport, Operations Management Support during implementation of TOS, Namibia. Namport is migrating from GCOS to SPARCS N4 and there is a long road ahead for them in connection with revising and producing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Job Descriptions (JD) and organizational changes to the operations department. In this connection, Seaport was asked to assist with revising the SOPs and JDs and suggest necessary organization changes to prepare for the new working practices and streamlined processes implemented in connection with the implementation of the new TOS.

2009 – 2010: Penang Port Sdn Bhd, Redevelopment, Operation and Management of Expansion of Penang Port for Containers, Malaysia. Penang Port is adding major new container handling capacity. Looking for a paradigm shift in their market development they appointed Seaport to assist in developing their market facing team. Using a three-pronged approach they led a market development initiative using existing staff, implemented a capability development program and upgraded the Customer Relationship Management systems of the port. Particular successes of the work were to move the port towards emphasizing the importance of their relationships with container shipping lines and the development of a formal process for developing and implementing “business capture plans”.

2009 – 2010: Summit Alliance Port Limited, Supervision, Planning, Organization and TOS Specifications, Bangladesh. Seaport was requested to design, plan, and implement a second inland river container terminal and CFS in Bangladesh, with a capacity of 200,000 TEU. Seaport has the responsibility for providing the Terminal Planning and Design, Recommendations concerning handling equipment, terminal management organisation, IT systems specifications, and supervising the management. Seaport is providing an alternative integrated terminal and CFS layouts where the CFS operation is fully integrated (system wise) with the container terminal and where the efficiency of the transport between the two operations is optimum.

2009 – 2010: Indonesia Infrastructure Initiative, National Port Master Plan for Indonesia, Indonesia.  The new Port & Shipping Law, No. 17/2008 requires that a National Port Master Plan for Indonesia be developed. The responsible body, the Directorate General of Sea Transportation (DGST), has never prepared such a plan before. Seaport was appointed to provide assistance to Directorate General Sea Transport (DGST) in the preparation of a vision for the ports and Indonesia and policies through which the vision could be brought to reality.  The support provided included.

  • Advice and support in the development of long term market demand forecast for port services across Indonesia

  • Structuring the plan and giving guidance to management of the plan’s development

  • Developing capacity in the department; especially that for public private partnerships

  • Facilitating the team to prepare the plan and get input from other government departments

2009 – 2010: Container Terminal and CFS at Port of Gothenburg, Concession Agreement Review, Sweden. Seaport was assigned the assignment of reviewing of the concession agreement drafted by one of the large consultancies. Seaport’s assignment involved reviewing pitfalls in the contract and strategic considerations, and advising the management board concerning the consequences and risks of the current draft and to provide suggestions for changes.

2009: Colledge Transportation Consulting Inc. for Port Alberta, Business Proposition for Inland Port, Canada. Seaport worked with Colledge Transportation Consulting Inc. (CTC) on the business proposition for Port Alberta. The development of the business proposition involved extensive consultations with government agencies, intermodal service providers, railroads, trucking companies and industries in the greater Edmonton area. It also involved estimating the market values and costs of potential Port Alberta services to determine its value proposition to customers.

2009: Global Terminal Operator (Confidential), Evaluation and Recommendation of IT system for Global Operator, The Netherlands. Seaport is the main contractor and leading company of a large IT system and evaluation study for the global terminal operator’s terminal portfolio. Seaport is carrying out the RFI and RFP process, as well as vendor workshops, system capability analysis, strategic fit of the vendor, and analysis of the financial standings of the vendors.

2009: Container Terminal and CFS at Port of Gothenburg, Management Consultancy towards Organizational Changes, Sweden. In connection with the implementation of the new terminal operating system in the port of Gothenburg, the organization had to be aligned towards the new procedures and job responsibilities. Seaport has taken the lead in guiding the staff in these changes as well as assisted the terminal management in the change of organizational structure during the implementation.

2009: CMA-CGM, Terminal Link, Review of Terminal Operations Design and Optimization, Cai Mep, Vietnam. The terminal arm of CMA-CGM, Terminal Link, is planning on constructing a 2.4 million TEU terminal in Cai Mep with start of operation in 2014. Seaport’s job is to develop the terminal master plan and to provide a development plan including for the initial construction period. Furthermore, a review of terminal operations design was performed in order to optimize the operation’s processes as well as the layout of the terminal. Seaport provides a terminal layout and a detailed gate design. On the design aspects, detailed development phasing was included concerning gate layout, location of added facilities, a footprint of building, parking areas and pavement markings, and the volume capacities through each of the development phases.

2009: RPL, Design for Inland River Container Terminal and CFS, Operations planning and TOS, Bangladesh. Seaport provided a complete terminal layout, handling system and operations strategy for this project, including design of the terminal, recommendation of handling equipment and organization model.  Seaport provided alternative integrated terminal and CFS layouts where the CFS operation is fully integrated (system wise) with the container terminal and where the efficiency of the transport between the two operations is optimum.

2009: City Deep Terminal, Transnet , Coaching and Securing Quality on the TOS implementation, South Africa. In connection with the advanced modules to be developed and delivered by the TOS supplier, the terminal is lacking staff with expertise in advanced operations processes/procedures. Seaport’s responsibility was to assist the daily project management concerning controlling the development of the advanced features and prioritizing the development for the benefit of the terminal.

2009: Transnet, Streamlining the Operation and Connecting with Seaports, City Deep, South Africa. Connecting the inland container deport (ICD) with other IDC and marine terminals in South Africa with regards to cargo transport, cargo information, and streamlining of procedures.

In connection with the assignment Seaport provided the following services:

  •  Develop new operations procedures

  • Specification of IT systems for the port

  •  Development of business processes and procedures for connecting with the other IDCs and marine terminals in South Africa.

2009: Container Terminal and CFS at Port of Gothenburg, Develop Operations Strategies and Standard Operating Procedures for the Terminal Operation, Sweden. Due to the complexity of the services performed on the terminal and the introduction of new working methods, Seaport was requested to develop operations strategies for the terminal operation. In addition, Seaport was requested to develop standard operating procedures for various processes in the operations department and guide the terminal management in the reorganization of the operations organization. 

2008 – 2009: Seabulk Systems Inc. for Capital Fusion Group, Feasibility Study of New Port, Colombia. Seaport investigated the container market on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and developed outline specifications of a container terminal for the first phase of the project.

2008 – 2009: City Deep South Africa, Specification for Terminal Operating System (TOS), South Africa. In connection with the major volume expansion and performance drive in Transnet Freight Rail, Seaport was requested to provide optimized operations specifications and operations procedures for the inland terminal City Deep, south of Johannesburg.

Seaport designed the operations processes according to international bets practice and from knowledge of the available (advanced) functionalities in the TOS to be implemented.

Seaport conducted operations management workshops at City Deep concerning best practice operational and efficient administrative procedures.

2008 – 2009: BNCT, Advisory and Supervision on First Automated Terminal in South Korea, Busan, South Korea. In connection with the design of the first automated terminal in Korea, Seaport provided the following services:

  • Second opinion on IT, equipment specifications and terminal design

  • New terminal design with optimized terminal logistics and automated yard

  • Description and optimization of operations processes and procedures

The advice and products delivered were based on lessons learned from other automated terminals worldwide.

2008 – 2009: Mundra Southport, Terminal Design of 5 M TEU Facility, Mundra, India. Seaport developed a terminal design with optimized logistics. Arranged the rail handling area for the large rail volume without compromising on driving distances or creating traffic congestion.

2008 – 2009: Port of Gothenburg, Terminal Operating System (TOS) Testing and Implementation, Sweden. Seaport served as advisor to the project team concerning specification and implementation of the Emulation testing tool. Upon implementation of the Emulation software, Seaport assisted with the testing and implementation of the TOS.

2008 – 2009: PCC Intermodal, Designs of Rail Inland Terminal, Kutno, Poland. PCC Intermodal is planning to build more inland terminals in central Europe in the coming years. In this connection PCC was interested in developing an optimized terminal layout that can be applied in the coming terminals. Seaport provided various design suggestion regarding:

  • Connection to the mail rail line

  • Rail handling area

  • Yard layout

  • Most cost efficient handling technology

2008: Confidential, Security Initiatives in Import and Export Terminals and Design of Security Gate, The Netherlands.  Since 9/11, many security initiatives have been initiated to secure against future terrorist attacks, and more are to come. Some of the big security initiatives currently ongoing are the ISPS Code, and the Container Security Initiative and Secure Freight Initiatives (initiated by the US Department of Homeland Security). Seaport was requested to provide a study of upcoming security initiatives to be implemented in ports and terminals, such as scanning for and detecting weapons and nuclear materials. Further, Seaport was requested to provide a detailed gate design and gate process design (admin check and physical check).

2008: Neptune Orient Line / American President Line, Pre-feasibility Study for Container Terminal, Panama.  One of the world’s leading container shipping companies appointed Seaport to undertake a pre-feasibility study for a container terminal in Panama. The proposed terminal has 650m of quay length and 60 Ha of supporting container storage.  It is accessed through a 1,800 km long approach channel cut through coral and capable of accept super post-Panamax container ships. The study included cost estimates and due diligence reviews of the site which is currently owned and operated by a Panamanian developer.

2008: Treasury Holdings (China) Ltd, Master Plan for Marina Development, China.  Seaport was appointed to plan a Marina and Yacht Development for Treasury Holding near Qingdao, China. It is a prestige development that will change the nature of the waterfront experience in the area. Seaport aided with the market study and prepared the design for the marine facilities. The lead architect for the development is RTKL.

2008: Adani Group / BMT Consultants India, Port Master Plan, India. Seaport was appointed to prepare a Master Plan to develop an existing port.  The port handled a low volume of cargo using traditional methods.  The work identified traffic that a renovated port could target.  Plans of how this additional traffic could be handled without compromising the ability of the port to service its existing users were prepared.  The financial viability of the expansion was assessed.

2008: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust Mumbai, Tariff Regulations, India.  The tariff regulating authority for ports in India had recently issued new guidelines on how a port tariff should be calculated.  Seaport was was appointed by JNPT, India’s largest container port, to review the guidelines and develop a paper to identify the implications of the regulations on levels of tariff that could be charged by a concessionaire for JNPT’s fourth container terminal.  The work covered detailed financial modeling and sensitivity analysis.

2008: Jacobs Babtie, Planning and Design of Bio Fuels Terminal, Hong Kong. Seaport was appointed to support one of the world’s leading engineering consultancies on the design of the marine facilities for a bio-fuel refinery in Hong Kong. The work included the specification of all cargo handling equipment and the layout of the quayside including deck furniture. They also prepared a detailed operating statement for the marine facilities.

2008: Arabian Capital, Strategic Plan for a New Shipping Company, Saudi Arabia.  Seaport was appointed by an investor in Saudi Arabia to develop a Strategic Plan for a new shipping company. The conceptual idea of the proposed shipping company is to focus on the investment capability of investors in Saudi Arabia on the shipping market; more specifically on shipping oil, petrochemicals or natural gas. This involved;

  • Understanding of the market that the company will address

  • Define the operating strategy of the company

  • Make an assessment of the performance of the company over the first three years

  • Outline an action plan for the creation of the company

2008: Kendal Regency, Kendal Port Development, Indonesia.  Seaport in collaboration with a local consulting engineer undertook a prefeasibility study to identify if there was an economic and commercial case for the development of a port at Kendal in Central Java. The province is served at present by the Port of Semarang which has capacity and congestion issues; it also has major flooding and ground settlement problems. The study investigated the market for port services in the province. It identified an outline master plan for the development of Kendal Port from a local ferry port into a major international port with container, bulk and liquid bulk facilities. The study concluded by examining the commercial and economic benefits of the port. The study showed that there was a case for the development and it recommended an action plan to progress the development.

2008: Senada, Capacity Development to Support Implementation of Port Authorities, Indonesia.  A corner stone of a new Government policy for the port sector in Indonesia is the creation of Port Authorities.  These are to take a central role in the planning and strategic management of ports across the country.  Seaport was appointed to examine how these Port Authorities could be implemented. The scope of work included a detailed review of the enabling legislation, the development of a detailed description of the role of the Port Authority and the preparation of an action plan leading to the roll out of the new authorities across Indonesia. The work also assessed the level of resources that would be required to successfully implement the authorities, risk areas within the process, key supporting actions that needed to be taken and skill gaps within the department responsible for the implementation.

2008: Vita Baruna Indonesia, Bali Cruise Terminal, Indonesia.  Seaport was appointed by Bali Cruise Terminal to set up the operations of the new cruise terminal at Bali, Indonesia.  Seaport prepared and executed a detailed business plan for the Bali Cruise Terminal (BCT).  The work then went on through Seaport facilitating Bali Cruise Terminal to:

  • Develop appropriate shore excursions at all locations

  • Ensure that the terminal facilities and shore support are put in place to provide safe, secure and effective landing places

  • Grown public private partnerships that bring together local Government and people to benefit from the terminals

  • Support the Indonesian department of Tourism to market the archipelago as a destination for cruise ships

2008: The Asia Foundation, Assessment of Impact of New Port Law on Ports in Sulawesi, Indonesia.  The Asia Foundation appointed Seaport to conduct a comprehensive study of all the ports in Sulawesi to identify the opportunities for improving port efficiency through the Shipping Law No. 17/2008 that was introduced by the Government of Indonesia. The study reviewed the facilities, cargo throughput and potential of all the ports on Sulawesi, identified a range of practical ways that the new shipping law could improve port efficiency and effectiveness and made recommendations for the additional regulations and policy actions that are required to ensure that these improvements are achieved.

2008: Port of Gothenburg, Development of Job Descriptions for Operations Department, Sweden. In connection with the reorganization of the operations organization and the introduction of new working methods, Seaport developed job description for various functions in the operations department

2008: Port of Auckland, Review of IT Request for Proposals (RFP) for Automated Terminal, New Zealand. Due to Seaport's experience in optimizing the operations processes in complex terminals (with many service areas, like Container Freight Station, fumigation, inter-terminal transport) Seaport was invited to review the RFPs for the TOS.

2008: Ocupa Manzanillo, Redesign of Terminal Yard, Mexico. Seaport's assignment was to provide optimization of two handling technologies capable of achieving high stacking density. The challenge was the unique shape of the terminal, which made it difficult to fit in full RTG and RMG modules.

2008: Port of Gothenburg, Design of Operation Processes for ro/ro Terminal, Sweden. In connection with the implementation of new operating systems at all the terminal operations in the Port, the Port retained Seaport to redesign and describe its operations processes to avoid implementing inefficient processes in the TOS. More potential improvements have been identified, with which Seaport will assist the port in implementing the coming years.

2008: Otago Container Terminal, Terminal Design, New Zealand. Seaport developed optimized layouts for three handling systems (rubber-tired gantry [RTG], cantilever rail-mounted gantry [RMG] and straddle carrier) for a medium-sized terminal. The result was a layout with good terminal logistics and high stacking capacity.

2008: City Deep Rail Terminal, Designs of Rail Inland Terminal, South Africa. In connection with a major volume expansion of the City Deep Rail Terminal south of Johannesburg, Seaport assisted in redesigning the terminal layout. The challenge was to achieve a significant increase in volume capacity without increasing the yard area.

2008: Assan Port, Design and Planning of Container Terminal, Turkey. Seaport provided a terminal layout for the upcoming Assan Port in Southern Turkey. The terminal, like most terminals in Turkey, is a narrow pier. The vessels are handled by mobile harbor cranes, while the yard is serviced by reach stackers and RTGs.

2008: Evyap Port, Design and Planning of Container Terminal, Turkey. Seaport provided the master plan and terminal layout for the upcoming expansion. The vessels will be handled by gantry cranes and mobile harbor cranes, while the yard is serviced by reach stackers and RTGs.

2008: Kumport Port, Design and Planning of Container Terminal, Turkey. Seaport provided the master plan, terminal phasing, and terminal layout for the upcoming expansion. The port will be expanded to three times its current volume capacity. The vessels will be handled by gantry cranes and mobile harbor cranes, while the yard is serviced by reach stackers and RTGs.

2008: Confidential Client, Financial Evaluation of New Container Terminal. Seaport updated the financial model for this continuing project, adapted the model to reflect the client’s present circumstances and planned operating system, and estimated operating and equipment costs. Seaport worked with the client to establish the financial performance of the terminal.

2008: Confidential Client, Container Market for Draft-Constrained River Port. Seaport evaluated the potential market for a draft-constrained container terminal located on a river. The terminal is located in an area with an extensive and growing container trade but faces competition in the market area from deep-sea terminals without practical draft constraints. The work focused on the design and actual service drafts of container ships calling at the port, trends in container ship fleet development and a strategy for the river terminal to expand its market.

2008: Confidential Client, Acquisition of Break-Bulk Terminal Operating Company, USA. Seaport provided commercial due diligence for an investment bank that was investigating the acquisition of a company that specialized in the operation of several break-bulk terminals in one of the largest ports in the U.S. Seaport investigated the company’s market and reviewed its operations.

2008: Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Review of Pending Sale of Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, Vancouver, Canada. Seaport prepared for Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) a review of the pending sale of Hapag-Lloyd by its parent TUI AG. The focus was on potential buyers, the changes that they would likely make to Hapag-Lloyd and the implications of the sale for VFPA’s market which Hapag-Lloyd serves as a member of the Grand Alliance.

2008: TBA Inc. for Riverport Railroad L.L.C., Review of Chicago Area Container Market, USA. Seaport conducted a review of the intermodal container market in the Chicago area for TBA Inc. who in turn was advising Riverport Railroad L.L.C., a short-line railroad operator and property developer in the Chicago area. The work included:

  • Overview of world and North American container traffic.

  • Factors affecting North American growth patterns, such as the Panama Canal expansion and the development by major importers of large distribution centers.

  • Forecasts of North American container traffic growth.

  • Flows of interior-point intermodal containers and the roles of ports, railroads and inland intermodal centers in them.

  • Review of intermodal facilities in the Chicago area and the intermodal industrial parks under development.

  • Potential markets for Riverport.

2008: Babcock & Brown, Review of World Maritime Trade. Seaport developed a review of overall world maritime trade to provide background to Babcock & Brown for its port infrastructure investments. The work investigated the relationship between the principal maritime trades and economic growth and the growth rates and persistence of growth of the trades over time. The review addressed major bulks (iron ore, coal and grain), container cargo and break-bulk cargo.

2008: TBA Inc. for Ocupa, Review of Manzanillo, Mexico Container Market, Mexico. Seaport conducted a review of the container trade for TBA Inc. who in turn was advising Ocupa, a container terminal operator in the Port of Manzanillo, Mexico. The work included:

  • Review and projection of the container market in Manzanillo and the West Coast Latin America.

  • Development of shipping line service patterns in Manzanillo and Balboa, Panama.

  • Review of the ports on the West Coast of South America, principally the ports of Callao, Peru and Guayaquil, Ecuador which have high traffic volumes and whose limitations constrain the vessels used on many trades on the West Coasts of Central and South America to geared sub-Panamax ships.

  • Review of the impact of the Panama Canal expansion on the region’s container trade.

  • Implications of the changing trade patterns for the terminal operator.

2006 – 2008: Sandwell Engineering Inc. for CITIC Pacific Mining Management Pty Limited, Cape Preston Iron Ore Port Development, Australia. CITIC Pacific Ltd, through its Australian subsidiary CITIC Pacific Mining Management Pty Limited (CP Mining), acquired an interest in an iron ore deposit in Western Australia that it is developing to supply the Chinese market. As the lead consultant on the project, Sandwell retained Seaport to:

  • Review the options for bulk terminal agreements regarding the iron ore port at Cape Preston required by the development of the iron ore mine.

  • Develop a draft terminal services agreement between CP Mining and a port terminal operator.

  • Evaluate alterative channel depths for the port.

  • Review the steel industry in China and its supply chains for iron ore.

  • Evaluate alternatives for port development.

2006 – 2008: Transnet/SAPO, Design Review of Ngqura, South Africa. Seaport provided a comprehensive design review of a 2 million TEU terminal, with clear suggestions for improvements, and highlighted potential technical and operational risks.

2007 – 2008: PSA International Pte Ltd, Assistance with Container Terminal Tender, Vancouver, Canada. Seaport supported PSA International in its tender for a build-operate-transfer concession for the Terminal 2 container terminal at Roberts Bank in the Port of Vancouver.

2007 – 2008: Port of Gothenburg, Organization Redesign of Container Terminal, Sweden. Seaport advised on redesigning the operations organization, operations processes and business processes according to international best practices. The result of Seaport’s involvement has been a container and Container Freight Station (CFS) operation set up for high performance.

2007 – 2008: Port of Gothenburg, Procurement of Container Terminal and ro/ro Terminal Operating System, Sweden. Seaport headed the procurement of a container terminal operating system, a CFS operating system, and a rail and truck appointment system project at Port of Gothenburg. The project assignment included designing To-Be processes, identifying organizational changes, analyzing the suppliers’ capabilities, and negotiating with the suppliers. Additionally, Seaport redesigned critical operations processes which Seaport assisted implementing in the operation.

2007 – 2008: Port of Larvik, Master Plan Development, Norway. From November 2007 to March 2008 Seaport developed the master plan for the Port of Larvik. The assignment involved designing and locating future rail lines in the port, design of automated gates, simulation of quay capacity, and transition from reach stacker to straddle carrier operations.

2007 – 2008: Transnet/SAPO, Cape Town, Develop Layout and Design Paper, South Africa. Cape Town has decided to transform its existing indirect straddle carrier operation into an RTG or cantilever-RMG operation with a volume capacity of 3 to 4 times the current straddle carrier operation. In this connection, Seaport developed, in collaboration with Transnet, an optimum terminal layout and developed detailed design paper/instructions. The work included developing various layout alternatives for the RTG and cantilever-RMG operation, developing a detailed transition (phasing) plan, developing a detailed layout with pavement markings, and a comprehensive design paper with clear design instructions.

2007: Confidential Client, Grains to Port via Rail Analysis, North America. Seaport researched and modeled rail rates for grains and grain-derived agricultural products moving from the US Midwest to US Pacific and Gulf of Mexico ports on several corridors using a variety of rail equipment types. All aspects of services and transit times, including in-port handling and unloading processes at US ports, were considered. The study was used to determine optimal rail equipment types and numbers for a new set of export services.

2007: Confidential Client, Evaluation of Container Terminal Development, North America. Seaport developed general schemes for a container terminal with conventional and semi-automated operating systems in a North American environment. Seaport estimated operating costs of the two systems and developed pro forma financial analyses. 

2007: Vancouver Port Authority, Update of Comparative Port Gateway Pricing Study, Vancouver, Canada. Seaport updated its 2006 evaluation of the regional competitiveness of Vancouver for the transit of containers from a shipping line’s perspective. The comparative review included Fraser Port, Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma and Port of Prince Rupert. The evaluation encompassed marine charges, pilotage and tugs, port authority and terminal operator fees.

2007: Port of Gothenburg, Forecast of Baltic Container Port Market, Sweden. Seaport reviewed the Nordic and Baltic container port market and developed a forecast of container traffic growth for the region. Seaport also evaluated the competitiveness of Gothenburg as a container transshipment port with the major European hub ports.

2007: Sandwell Engineering Inc. for Teck, Evaluation of Mine Supply Logistics, Panama. Seaport reviewed the marine supply logistics for a new copper mine in northern Panama. Seaport developed a schedule of mine construction and operating supplies, reviewed regional ports as logistics bases, evaluated fuel oil supply and marine transport options, and outlined the specifications of the supply vessels the mine’s port should be built for.

2007: Babcock & Brown, Evaluation of Acquisition of Port Terminal Operating Company, U.S.A. Seaport served as commercial advisors in an evaluation of the acquisition of a break-bulk port terminal operating company. Services provided by Seaport included:

  • Provision of general commercial due diligence.

  • Review of market for company and break-bulk trades in which it engaged.

  • Review of port operations.

  • Discussions of company operations and prospects with owners.

2007: Port of Gothenburg, Optimizing Container Terminal Layout, Sweden. Gothenburg experienced a stable volume increase the last years, and expected it to continue the coming years. In this connection Seaport optimized the terminal and suggested improvements to operations procedures to accommodate the volume increase over the coming five years.

2007: Petrolesport, Planning of Large Multi Cargo and 2 Million TEU Container Operation, St. Petersburg, Russia. The current terminal operation is handling general cargo and few containers. However, the terminal operator was interested in determining the volume capacity potential and the financials. Seaport's assignment was to assist in developing a master plan with the aim of maximizing the volume throughput, without compromising on the handling costs.

2007: Fredericia Shipping, Layout Optimization of Existing Reach Stacker operation, Fredericia, Denmark. The terminal in Fredericia was handling only 35,000 TEU annually with expected volume growth resulting in a highly over utilized yard. In this connection, Seaport provided an optimized layout that would provide maximum stacking capacity and other improvements, but require only minimum investments.

2007: Transnet/SAPO, Terminal Design, Maydon Warf, South Africa. Seaport developed a terminal design for a high-density RTG operation still allowing smooth terminal logistics.

2007: Transnet/SAPO, Review of terminal design in existing terminal, Pier 1, South Africa. In connection with Pier 1’s difficulty in reaching satisfactory productivities in the terminal, Seaport investigated the reason for the operations difficulties. The findings pointed in the direction of too small distances between equipment, containers, light poles, etc. Seaport developed a cost efficient solution to the problem and with the least operations disturbances.

2007: Transnet/SAPO, Design of 3 M TEU Terminal, Richards Bays, South Africa. Seaport developed in collaboration with Transnet a detailed terminal design for a high-density RTG operation capable of accommodating an annual volume of 3 million TEU. Furthermore, Seaport developed, in collaboration with Transnet, a master plan for the port with a total capacity of 20 million TEU.

2007: Babcock & Brown, Evaluation of Acquisition of Maher Terminals, U.S.A. and Canada. Evaluation of port terminal acquisition. Seaport served as commercial advisor and port consultant.

2006 – 2007: Maersk Procurement, Sourcing and Optimization of Transportation Corridor, Turkey. Seaport was asked to lead a transportation corridor sourcing (procurement) and optimization project in Turkey for one of the major transportation providers. Seaport’s assignment was to manage the project procurement team’s effort of bringing down costs by new contracts and identifying optimization potentials (e.g. optimum location of inland depots, triangulations and empty container positioning), constructing new trucking contracts based on variable costs, and business processes.

2006 – 2007: Confidential Client. Preliminary Evaluation of Port Terminal Acquisition. Seaport served as commercial advisor and port consultant to an investment institution that was considering a bid for a port terminal in North America.

2006 – 2007: CANAC Inc. for Baja California State Government, Mexico.  Development of Punta Colonet concession. Seaport served as technical port consultant on the development of the port, container terminal and railroad concession for Punta Colonet in Baja California, Mexico.

2006: Confidential Client, Canada. Proposal to container shipping line. Seaport developed a detailed proposal for presentation to a container shipping line aimed to secure a container shipping service for a container terminal.

2006: Confidential Client, North America. Bid for multipurpose shipping terminal. Seaport served as commercial advisor and port consultant to a port terminal operating company that was bidding for a container and break-bulk shipping terminal. Seaport’s role in the assignment included:

  • Review of the potential container market.

  • Evaluation of alternative uses and business concepts.

  • Evaluation of data room materials, attendance at management presentations and site inspections.

  • Advice on competitive aspects and bid prices for the assets.

2006: Transnet/SAPO, Detailed Design of Durban Container Terminal (Straddle Carrier Operation), South Africa. Durban Container Terminal is facing major issues with truck volume constraints, equipment productivities, and complex cargo flows. In this connection, Seaport assisted in providing a detailed terminal layout that would help achieve more stacking capacity, provide high equipment productivities and provide easy handling of external trucks.

2006: Copenhagen/Malmø Port, 240% Capacity Increase in Small Straddle Carrier Operation, Copenhagen, Denmark. The terminal was experiencing an increasing demand for yard stacking space. Seaport's assignment was to redesign the terminal layout, reorganize the stacking configuration, relocate and automate the gate, and optimize rail handling as well as the traffic to and from rail. By using industry best practice in stacking configuration and operations strategies the terminal stacking capacity was increased by 240%. The major capacity increase was done with only minor investments in new fencing and rearrangement of light poles, and new pavement marking. The gate were designed according to the local customs requirements and automated to minimize gate labor and clerks.

2006: IBM, Advisor concerning IT implementation, Denmark. IBM was entering the port and terminal industry as total technology integrators. Due to Seaport expertise in operations design and planning of conventional and automated operations, Seaport was asked to assist IBM. Seaport's role was to advise the company on project planning and execution and project management, as well as on cost-efficient technology and automation.

2006: Aalborg Container Operation, Master Plan for Reach Stacker Operation, Aalborg, Denmark. In connection with the Royal Arctic Line award of a new contract to ACO, Seaport developed a master plan for ACO. The aim was to provide a terminal setup that would allow for high waterside performance and high service level, as well as maximizing the volume capacity.

2006: Babcock & Brown, Commercial Due Diligence of Acquisition of Terminal Operating Company, Portugal. Seaport conducted commercial due diligence regarding a possible acquisition of a terminal operating company. Seaport prepared traffic forecasts for several ports operated by the company and reviewed the company’s contracts with shipping companies and other customers. Although the terminal company handled a variety of cargoes, the emphasis was on containers.

2006: Mubadala Development Company, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Business plan for new port. Seaport prepared the traffic forecast and assisted BMT Maritime Consultants with other aspects of the strategic and business plans for Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi. The port will be a multi-purpose facility that handles container, break-bulk and bulk cargoes, in part for the adjacent Khalifa Port Industrial Zone, a free-trade area.

2006: Vancouver Port Authority, Vancouver, Canada. Comparative port gateway pricing study. Seaport evaluated the regional competitiveness of Vancouver for the transit of containers from a shipping line’s perspective. The evaluation encompassed marine charges, pilotage and tugs, port authority and terminal operator fees, and intermodal rail activities. Seaport also developed a financial model for use by VPA to conduct comparative analysis and perform “what if” assessments.

2006: Agri-Tec International Inc., Nakhon Sawan, Thailand. Transformation of river port into a multimodal hub for export of containerized rice. Seaport assessed the suitability of the Kumnum Song Rice Port (KSRP) located on the Chao Phraya River to be transformed into an International Multimodal Hub (IMH) for the direct export of containerized rice via the Ports of Bangkok and Laem Chabang. Seaport’s work involved assessing the rice trading practices and rice volume being exported from the region to define the rice market, establishing the framework for a business plan and developing a site layout plan for the IMH. Seaport also developed a container handling operating plan and estimated the container equipment requirements to enable KSRP to function competitively in accordance with established operating best practices for inland container depots focused on serving exporters and also shipping lines.

2006: TDK Logistics Ltd., British Columbia, Canada. Development of site plan and container tariff. Seaport prepared a site plan, developed equipment needs and operating procedures, and estimated container handing charges for an off-dock container storage depot and stuffing facility. Seaport subsequently developed a tariff for the container storage depot. The work included developing the structure of the tariff, drafting all clauses and sections and establishing individual rates for services.

2005 – 2006:  US Department of Agriculture, US-Mexico Trans-border Transportation Cost Analysis, US and Mexico.  Seaport defined impacts on trans-border shipping of US and Mexican post-September 11 border security processes. Analysis of security related delays at Otay Mesa, Calexico, Nogales, El Paso, Eagle Pass, and Laredo crossings for both truck and rail. Assessment of delay impacts at Mexican army and agricultural highway inspection stations throughout northern and central Mexico. Analysis of possible future highway and rail projects on both sides of the border, changing industry structures, the impact of Mexican trucks within the US, new security technologies and practices, and increases in trans-border volumes on overall border region transportation costs. Assessed the likelihood of modal diversion from overland to short-sea shipping.

2005 – 2006: TFG, Company Valuation and Operations Planning for Multi Cargo Operator, Naples, Italy. Seaport was assigned to maximize the value of multi cargo operation in Naples, Italy and estimate the value of the company. The assignment involved delivering recommendations concerning investments in new infrastructure, superstructure and operations set up, as well as building financial models. The result was a significant capacity increase and unit cost reduction resulting in a company with significantly higher market value.

2005 – 2006: Fraser River Port Authority, British Columbia, Canada. Implementation of tariff schedule. Seaport assisted Fraser River Port Authority (FRPA) in implementing the tariff that Seaport developed for FRPA in 2004. Seaport’s work included a review and update of comparative tariff rates, an evaluation of the market impact of the tariff, and development a strategy to introduce the tariff.

2005: Bridge Terminal Transport Inc., British Columbia, Canada. Review of proposed container transfer facility. Seaport assisted the client to develop an expansion plan of their Vancouver off-dock container terminal to double its size and integrate a bulk transfer facility to handle specialty agricultural products from rail wagons directly to containers, or via storage bins or a bagging plant into containers. The work involved developing layout plans to harmonize the container handling activities with the bulk transfer facilities in a manner to optimize container capacity and traffic flows to avoid both traffic bottlenecks and operational conflicts.

2005: Terminal Operating Company, Canada. Evaluation of marine terminal site. Seaport evaluated capacity and expansion potential of a combined bulk and break-bulk cargo terminal the client was considering acquiring. Seaport evaluated the potential for break-bulk capacity increases within the existing terminal site and in conjunction with a vacant adjacent site. Seaport also prepared a conceptual layout of a container terminal on the site in conjunction with bulk handling.

2005: Confidential, Canada. Evaluation of bulk terminal. Seaport reviewed bulk commodity markets as part of an evaluation of a dry bulk terminal.

2005: Confidential Client, Middle East. Feasibility study of ferry service. Seaport participated in a feasibility study of a regional ferry service in the Middle East. Seaport’s principal work was in the area of ferry traffic projections.

2005: Confidential, Design and Planning of Multi Cargo Terminal. Design, planning and investment analysis for building and operating a medium sized combined multi cargo terminal. As the terminal operator was lacking confidence in market forecasts, Seaport was approached to come up with an innovative terminal design that would be able to handle multiple cargo types (bulk, ro/ro, and containers) as cost efficient as dedicated terminals.

2005: Confidential Client, Design and Planning of Unmanned Straddle Carrier Terminal. As the concept of unmanned straddle carriers is still considered unproven and connected with high implementation risks due to the complexity of the control (IT) systems, Seaport acted as advisor to the management team on the design and planning process, as well as the procurement of IT-systems and handling equipment.

2005: B.C. Wharf Operators Association et al, British Columbia, Canada. Evaluation of rail service issues at marine terminals. Seaport reviewed rail service issues at marine and off-dock terminals in the Greater Vancouver area. Information compiled from terminal operators and other sources was assembled into an overall picture of the level of and trends in rail service to the terminals.

2005: Barbados Port Inc., Bridgetown, Barbados. Review of port operations and market. Barbados Port Inc. retained Seaport to review its operations, labor agreement, traffic and market competition, and company bylaws. The work involved discussions with senior managers, preparation of divisional operating policies, recommendations regarding restructuring of operations, a review of the labor agreement with the port union, and an evaluation of the company bylaws created when Barbados Port Authority became a corporation. The market review comprised compilation of traffic statistics for regional ports, development of a matrix of container shipping services for the Caribbean region, benchmarking the Port of Bridgetown with selected regional ports for container handing performance and costs of services for container and cruise trades, an assessment of the container transshipment market for Bridgetown, and formulation of an overall competitive analysis.

2004 – 2005: Confidential Client, Port of Bourgas, Bulgaria. Evaluation of bulk terminal concession. Seaport introduced the client to a concession opportunity in the Port of Bourgas and conducted a preliminary financial evaluation of two concession options: a bulk terminal, and a mixed bulk and general cargo terminal. Seaport assembled data on the port and terminals, evaluated alternative concession structures for the concessions, estimated operating costs and developed a competitive tariff. The company then used this information to evaluate the financial feasibility of the concessions and performed sensitivity analyses for the selected option. Seaport subsequently developed the outline and content of a proposal to be presented to the Bulgarian authorities for the concession.

2004 – 2005: Confidential Client, British Columbia, Canada. Break-bulk terminal capacity and traffic. Seaport compiled from statistical information and surveys a consistent picture of the break-bulk port traffic in B.C. ports. Seaport developed information on the break-bulk terminals, estimated their development potential, reviewed vessel productivity by product and ship type, reviewed storage densities by product and estimated the berth and storage capacities of the terminals. Seaport then reviewed the implications of alternative capacity scenarios for the division of break-bulk cargoes among the ports.

2004 – 2005: APM Terminals, Major Capacity Increase of Existing Rubber-Tired Gantry Operation, Spain. With its existing operational strategies, this RTG terminal was operating at its capacity limit. The terminal experienced a significant decrease in quay-crane productivity as the yard storage utilization increased. Nevertheless, the terminal management expected an increase in demand of 40% over the next 3 to 4 years, and was therefore interested in increasing terminal capacity. Seaport's assignment, in collaboration with specialists from various organizations, was to draft a development plan as well as to design the required advanced operations strategies (strategies for container grounding, and pooling of handling and transportation equipment, etc.). Before implementation, detailed simulations validated the design and strategies

2004 – 2005: APM Terminals, Terminal Project Execution Guidelines, The Netherlands. Seaport produced a comprehensive project manual with guidelines for executing container terminal projects. The guideline serves to acquaint project managers and project team members concerning corporate governance, financial reporting, and other principles for executing terminal projects.

2004 – 2005: APM Terminals Zeebrugge, Overall Project Management for a 2 million TEU Terminal Project, Zeebrugge, Belgium. Seaport headed the planning, procurement, and execution of building a 2 million TEU straddle carrier terminal in Zeebrugge, Belgium. The terminal design is based on state-of-the-art principles with advanced operations philosophies ensuring a cost efficient operation. As the project was time critical from start-up, the assignment as project manager was to direct and coordinate the terminal operator’s internal resources as well as external resources in terminal design, IT, civil engineering, operations, and procurement towards finalizing the planning and procurement in 9 months. The total investments were in excess of €80 million.

2004: Royal Arctic Line, Denmark.  Royal Arctic Line (RAL), the only shipping line connecting Greenland with Europe, calls at one European port, Aalborg, in Denmark. As RAL’s contract with the Danish port operator was expiring in 2006, RAL wanted a cost and service quality-benchmark for Danish ports to asses the most suitable port to utilize as a base. The benchmarking included an analysis of the container terminal operations and organizations, access to and capacity of CFS facilities, access to rail, and proximity to transshipment facilities. Important factors for RAL were the pros and cons to their larger customers, as some of them had invested significant amounts in cold storage and agent offices. Last, the economic impact to RAL of moving from Aalborg to an alternative port was assessed. Because of the climatic conditions on the west coast of Greenland, especially outside the summer months, the vessels often arrive considerably outside ETA. The terminal must therefore have excess berth and crane capacities to provide the necessary service guaranties. Additionally, the terminal must have a good operations set-up with sufficient container handling equipment to turn the vessel around speedily. Seaport was brought in to assist with its expertise in container terminal operations analysis. Seaport interviewed the terminal management and visited the terminal operations to get a good understanding of their current operations efficiency, operations strategies, volume capacity, berth utilization, vessel productivity, quality of container handling technology, proximity to rail handling facilities, CFS, transshipment, unions, etc.

2004: Confidential Client, Denmark. Seaport conducted a terminal design and capacity study for a Danish container and bulk terminal operator. The operator sought a terminal operation that could handle ro/ro and containers without one operation negatively affecting the other. Because of uncertainties in volume growth for ro/ro versus containers as well as the limited yard area and quay length, Seaport’s assignment was to design a flexible operation with minimum initial investments and high utilization of quay wall, yard area and handling equipment. Seaport carried out:

  • Selection of cost efficient and flexible handling equipment

  • Terminal layout, allowing simultaneously ro/ro and container operations

  • Development plan for future volume expansions

  • Optimum position and handling technology for rail operation

  • Sizing, location and prices of infrastructure, superstructure and handling equipment

  • Required investments in handling equipment and IT systems

  • Estimation of labor and equipment hours

  • Suggestions for container terminal organization

The innovative terminal solution has very high flexibility due to the selection of straddle carriers for the container handling. There is no dedicated container stacking yard, but a yard that can be expanded and reduced on demand. The 1 over 3 high straddle carriers allow a high yard density, releasing storage area for ro/ro cargo.

2004: TFG, Operations Planning and Design for Multi Cargo Operator, Italy. Seaport was assigned to maximize the value of a multi-cargo operation for TFG in Napoli, Italy. The assignment involved delivering recommendations concerning investments in new infrastructure, superstructure and operations set up, as well as building financial models. The result was a significant capacity increase and unit cost reduction resulting in a company with significantly higher market value.

2004: APM Terminals, Design, Planning, and Process Mapping for Automated Terminal, Portsmouth, Virginia, USA. Seaport guided and supervised the project team in designing the operations processes and procedures, in design simulations, and in the process mapping in connection with the design of the first automated terminal in the USA. The aim was to achieve a cost efficient operation, and have a precise description of the requirements to the processes and system integration.

2004: US Department of Agriculture, Mexico. Costs of trans-border shipping. In this project, Seaport defined the costs of trans-border shipping in light of post-September 11 border security requirements. The work included analysis of modal competition and overall transportation system costs.

2004: Fraser River Port Authority, British Columbia, Canada. Development of draft tariff schedule. Seaport's work included development of the structure of the tariff, drafting all clauses and sections, and building up individual rates for some services.

2004: US Trade Development Administration, Madagascar. Multimodal transport mission. Seaport participated in aTDA Definitional Mission regarding multi-sector opportunities in Madagascar. The project involved analysis of port and tug and barge system business opportunities for US firms and suppliers.

2004: Ministry of Small Business and Economic Development and Ministry of Transportation, Province of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada. Development of BC port strategy. The Province of British Columbia undertook a port strategy study to provide a comprehensive understanding of the competitive situation and outlook for BC ports. The goal of the study was to recommend a strategic direction for the Province with respect to identifying opportunities for the Province to facilitate, along with its key partners, the sustainable development and growth of BC’s key trading ports over the next 20 years. Seaport associated with Colledge Transportation Consulting Inc. (prime consultant) and Seabulk Systems Inc. for this work. Seaport’s role in the study comprised:

  • Projections of port traffic growth on the West Coast of North America and in British Columbia with a particular focus on containers.

  • Assessment of the competitiveness of British Columbia container ports with major container ports on the US West Coast.

  • A review of container handling technology and automation, and its implications for inter-port competitiveness and the development of British Columbia ports.

  • A review and projection of bulk, break-bulk and container shipping on the West Coast.

  • Participation in workshops and development of port profile and overall strategy papers.

2003 – 2004: Confidential Client, North America. Financial evaluation of container terminal. Seaport assisted a port authority and terminal operator in the financial evaluation of the conversion of a break-bulk terminal into a container terminal. The project involved structuring of the financial model and estimating operating parameters, operating costs and equipment needs to handle projected container volumes.

2003 – 2004: Confidential Client, North America. Advice on financial evaluation of container terminal. Seaport provided assistance to a port authority regarding the development plans of one of its container terminal lessees. Seaport reviewed the lessee’s market and operational plans and financial projections for its container terminal. Seaport also examined alternative structures for the site lease and as part of this work reviewed regional port authority charges.

2003 – 2004: Vancouver Port Authority, Vancouver, Canada. Container traffic forecast for West Coast of North America. Seaport prepared a container traffic forecast for the West Coast of North America, with a focus on the Port of Vancouver. The study examined historical patterns of world traffic, drivers of container trade growth on a world and regional basis, and North American market shares by coast and port area. The resulting forecast involved base case, high and low estimates of reasonable traffic levels plus sensitivity analyses that reflected more extreme events.

2003 – 2004: Potato Growers of Idaho, Idaho, United States. Agricultural transport study. Seaport investigated ways to improve domestic and international transportation options for Idaho fresh and processed potato growers and shippers and for associated onion growers in eastern Oregon. The work included analysis of current Union Pacific and Eastern Idaho Railroad services and rates, truck traffic, and possible intermodal services using various inland gateways. It also included investigation of export shipping alternatives.

2003: AMEC Infrastructure Limited for Neptunia, S.A., Lima, Peru. Evaluation of private container port. Neptunia S.A., a stevedoring company that handles about one third of the containers passing through the Port of Callao (Lima), retained AMEC to investigate the feasibility of developing a private container port to compete with Callao. Working with AMEC, Seaport was responsible for the market review and financial evaluation of the new port. Seaport developed an overview of the world and regional container trade, investigated the trends and drivers of Peruvian container traffic, projected container traffic for Callao and the new port, and evaluated the shipping services and vessel types in the container trade on the west coast of South America. Seaport also estimated a competitive tariff for the new port, developed a financial model that captured the port cost structure in Peru, and conducted financial evaluations of the new port.

2003: Japan Research Institute, Limited for Naha Port Authority, Naha (Okinawa), Japan. Evaluations of market for container terminal concession. In preparation for a call for tenders for the lease of the international container terminal at Naha Port, Naha Port Authority (NPA) retained Japan Research Institute (JRI), in association with a Japanese law firm and other consultants, to develop the concession contract and related bid documents. Seaport assisted JRI by evaluating the market aspects of the container terminal. Seaport provided an overview of container port traffic and growth patterns in East Asia and in particular in China, defined the intercontinental container shipping services in East and Southeast Asia, described the development status of container port facilities in China and in the competing transshipment ports in South Korea and Taiwan, estimated competitive transshipment tariff levels in the region, and reviewed NPA’s plans to attract transshipment traffic to the Naha terminal. Seaport also identified potential bidders for the concession and advised on various aspects of the concession contract and process.

2003: Dubai Ports Authority, Dubai, UAE. Assistance with development of management information system. Seaport worked with a team of information technology specialists from BMT Maritime Consultants on the development of the “PROMIS” management information system for Dubai Ports Authority and its container terminals. Seaport contributed expertise in container terminal management and operations and the information needs of operational personnel.

2003: Barbados Port Authority, Bridgetown, Barbados. Establishment of central container examination facility. Seaport worked with the General Manager of the port to address a number of issues the port is facing. One involved establishing a central container examination facility to strengthen port and customs security, control and inspection procedures. Other issues addressed included the review of the specification for the acquisition of container cranes and handling equipment, and design concepts for rehabilitating the existing container wharf and new wharf structures.

2003: UMA Engineering Ltd. for Vancouver Port Authority, Vancouver, Canada. Feasibility study of off-dock intermodal container transfer facility (ICTF). The objective of the ICTF, located near the Roberts Bank area of Vancouver’s outer port, was to improve the flow of intermodal rail containers and to induce capacity increases in the container shipping terminals by removing a portion of the intermodal activity from the on-dock intermodal yards. The study comprised site evaluations, preliminary designs, capital cost estimates and economic evaluations. Seaport was responsible for economic evaluations of the ICTF and its impact on port operators and users. Seaport also evaluated the commercial environment in which the ICTF would operate.

2003: PADECO Co., Ltd for Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Bulgaria. Port of Bourgas expansion project and port concessions. Seaport provided port management expertise to assess the impact of a new bulk terminal on the future operations of the port. Seaport also evaluated options for the transfer of cargo handling activities from the Port of Bourgas Authority, a public corporation, to the private sector as operating concessions. Seaport’s work included:

  • Evaluating the ability of the Port of Bourgas (the model port for privatization in Bulgaria) to achieve a competitive environment with private sector participation.

  • Evaluating the port privatization policies of the Government of Bulgaria and providing assistance to the Government to assess the options for private sector participation in ports.

  • Advising the Government of Bulgaria on regulatory changes to facilitate private sector participation and to implement a uniform strategy for the privatization of port activities at all Bulgarian ports.

  • Identifying areas of improvement within the Port of Bourgas necessary as a prelude to privatization and recommending the scope of activities for private sector involvement in line with the government’s privatization policies.

  • Evaluating the options for breaking up the port into port concession packages and recommending the port concession packages to be privatized.

  • Developing a privatization strategy and a roadmap of the process to be followed by the Government of Bulgaria to transform port activities into port concessions to be operated by the private sector.

2002 – 2003: ARCADIS Geraghty & Miller, Bulgaria. Macedonia rail corridor feasibility study. Seaport supervised a traffic forecast and performed a comprehensive financial feasibility assessment for a rail corridor linking the ports of Varna and Bourgas on the Black Sea with Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania.

2002: Fraser River Port Authority, Vancouver, Canada. Review of automobile terminal cost structures. Seaport reviewed how US Pacific Northwest ports structure the allocation of port costs between the ocean carrier and the terminal operator for automobiles handled at their port facilities. The objective was to assist Fraser River Port Authority (FRPA) to determine if its fee structure for automobile terminals is in accord with today’s competitive marketplace. The review recommended actions FRPA should take regarding revisions to the fee structure for the use of auto facilities under either a fixed lease or a terminal services agreement.

2002: US Department of Agriculture, Tanzania, Kenya & Uganda. Evaluation of transport-related aid programs. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented a series of training programs and workshops focusing on concrete steps to improve the efficiency of agricultural trucking and rail movements to and from regional ports. Seaport assisted in monitoring progress of the training program and in assessing the results. Seaport also recommended changes to future programs.

2002: International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), Vancouver, Canada. Acquisition of container terminal company. The Province of British Columbia instructed BC Rail, a provincial Crown corporation, to divest BCR Marine, a division that comprised primarily a bulk terminal and the Centerm container terminal in the Port of Vancouver. Seaport provided expert advice and assistance to ICTSI, an international container terminal operating company, in its bid to acquire the company that operates the Centerm container terminal. Seaport’s services included strategic and marketing advice regarding container terminal operations in the Port of Vancouver, establishment of contacts for ICTSI, and reviews of confidential information memorandum and other data. Seaport also estimated operating and equipment capital costs for the terminal, developed a financial model of the terminal and provided preliminary estimates of its value.

2001 – 2002: Confidential Client, Evaluation of Proposed Container Terminal Development. Evaluation of the business merits and container market for the proposed development of a new container terminal. The work of Seaport involved estimating equipment requirements, equipment costs, staffing and manning costs, and operating and maintenance costs for various market scenarios. The objective was to project the financial performance of the container terminal development from the perspectives of both the port authority and the terminal operator. The work included developing a financial pro forma model for use by the client to assess the financial performance of the container terminal based on various scenarios for the apportionment of costs and market capture.

2001 – 2002: Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Philippines. Review of Philippine maritime sector. Seaport conducted a top-down review of the Philippine maritime sector with a particular focus on the ports of Mindanao for the purpose of recommending a course of intervention by CIDA in providing technical assistance to the Philippine port system.

2001 – 2002: BMT Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. for Asian Development Bank, Papua New Guinea. Study of marine transport. The study dealt with small-scale marine transport to the smaller communities on the coast and inland waterways that do not receive a high level of commercial marine transport services. Among other things, the study addressed the demand for community marine transport, the availability of marine infrastructure, small craft operations and vessel safety. The work of Seaport included market, economic, financial and social evaluations according to ADB’s guidelines, and the institutional aspects of implementing the project that resulted from the study.

2001 – 2002: US Department of Agriculture, Mexico. US – Mexico agricultural traffic study. Seaport performed a transport cost analysis of wheat, corn, and high unit value commodities moving between Mexico and the US and Canada. The primary focus was on the growth in market share of direct rail shipments of Midwestern grains to central Mexico, versus Mississippi river and rail movement to Gulf ports. The study analyzed the possible effects of dredging at Veracruz in order to accommodate Panamax ships through the use of a vessel cost model developed for the project. Also studied were possibilities for use of Mexican Pacific ports for Western US and Canadian grain destined to central Mexico, instead of direct rail movements. The second phase of the analysis examined direct trucking versus intermodal rail or coastal ship for high unit value agricultural commodities, such as bananas, melons, and mangoes. A paper describing the analysis was published by USDA in 2003 as part of “Transportation Bottlenecks in the U.S.-Mexican Food System: Impact on Bilateral Food and Agricultural Trade.”

2001: PRTI Transport Inc., Vancouver, Canada. Evaluation of greenfield sites for use as off-dock container terminal. Seaport evaluated various greenfield sites for use as an off-dock container terminal to service the Port of Vancouver and ports located in the US Pacific Northwest. Developed layout plans and assessed the business merits for each site and the container handling methodology. Seaport developed capacity plans and prepared detailed site plans for the staged development of the chosen site and the operating methodology to be used.

2001: Confidential, North America. Proposal for terminal services. The client, the operator of a break-bulk terminal, received from a major shipper a request for proposals for terminal services that involved both containers and break-bulk cargoes. Seaport was retained to evaluate options for container services at the terminal and to prepare major sections of the company's proposal to the break-bulk shipper. Seaport's work included:

  • The preparation of plans for the integration of container activities into the terminal.

  • Development of alternative ways of handling containers, estimation of capital and operating costs, and financial evaluations of the options.

  • Preparation of a brief to senior management regarding the company’s long-term container development strategy.

  • Preparation of all container sections of the proposal, including detailed container tariffs.

  • Preparation of other major sections of the proposal and editing of the overall document.

2001: Confidential Client. Estimation of the financial performance of a proposed container terminal. Seaport estimated equipment requirements, equipment capital costs and operating costs for various market scenarios in order to evaluate the financial performance of a container terminal from a terminal operator's point of view. Seaport developed a financial pro forma model to assess the financial performance of the container terminal based on various scenarios for market capture.

2001: Confidential Client, South America. Assessment of bulk-hauling rail operations between a mineral deposit and a river port in South America. Seaport analyzed rail and barge technologies, levels of service, and costs, and provided recommendations for further action.

2000 – 2001: Seabulk Systems Inc., Vancouver, Canada. Evaluation of market for Seabulk Cape Unloader. Seabulk Systems Inc. has developed a unique system for unloading of Capesize bulk carriers (80,000 to 250,000 deadweight tonnes) with floating equipment. The system can discharge to other vessels or with minimal shore installations to land. Seabulk wished to investigate the world market for the Seabulk Cape Unloader (SCU). The work of Seaport involved:

  • Reviewing world coal and iron ore trades.

  • Evaluating shipping economics with the SCU.

  • Identifying potential customers for the SCU.

  • Preparing an information package and approaching selected potential customers on behalf of Seabulk.

2000: Belgrano Cargas, SA, Argentina. Study of market potential, track and equipment rehabilitation options, communications and control systems, and port siting options for a rail system in northwestern Argentina. The US Trade and Development Administration funded the study in order to find methods to reduce state subsidy to the current concessionaire. The study by Seaport focused on the line connecting the provincial capital of Salta with the Chilean border and running through a zone that produces industrial minerals. The potential for interchange traffic with Chile was also examined, as were port issues for minerals and other cargo handling.

2000: Confidential Client. Litigation support regarding an intermodal transport system. Seaport reviewed an intermodal transport system involving trucking, container terminals and marine transport and prepared an expert witness report.

2000: Barbados Port Authority, Bridgetown Barbados. Review of port regulations. Seaport reviewed the existing port regulations and developed a proposed draft of changes and additions to be incorporated into the port regulations for Bridgetown Port and the maritime sector of Barbados. This work was a preparatory step to the Government of Barbados establishing Barbados Port Authority as a corporation.

2000: Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd., Australia. Study of leasing options for a major cement plant and limestone quarry located on the Gulf of St. Vincent in southern Australia. The marine terminal adjacent to the industrial facility was due to be transferred from a public port to its privatized successor, and Seaport was engaged to determine optimal leasing strategies under a new administration. A comprehensive assessment was also made of company shipping activities including coastal and ocean shipping and recommendations made where necessary.

2000: Rio Tinto/Hamersley Iron, Brazil and Argentina. Analysis of river transport options for a large iron ore deposit near Corumbá in Mato Grosso, Brazil involving barging ore down the Paraguay River to a port near Buenos Aires for transfer to ocean vessels. Seaport investigated river development scenarios, required dredging and navigational improvements, current and possible future towboat and barging rules, and other factors.

1999 – 2000: Barbados Port Authority, Bridgetown, Barbados. Update of economic and financial evaluations. This project was an extension of earlier work for Barbados Port Authority. Seaport updated the port traffic forecasts from a 1999 base, conducted economic and financial evaluations of the final project defined by the study, and prepared pro forma financial analyses of Barbados Port Authority with the final project.

1999 – 2000: Confidential Client, Canada. Evaluation of container terminal market and feasibility. Seaport reviewed the container market on the West Coast of North America, estimated container terminal operating and equipment capital costs, and developed a container operations plan for a marine terminal operating company. Seaport also worked with other consultants to prepare terminal layouts and provided board-level strategic advice to the project.

1999: Confidential Client, Hong Kong, China. Review of financial information memorandum for container terminal. Seaport reviewed traffic forecasts, container shipping trends and container handling tariffs for the lead bank in the lending consortium. This work was part of a due diligence review of the Information Memorandum, prepared by a major investment bank, for the Container Terminal 9 project in Hong Kong.

1999: Confidential Client, Oregon, USA. Point traffic counts and origin-destination analysis of auto and truck traffic moving over I-84 and local roads throughout the Pendleton-Hermiston area in northeastern Oregon. Seaport assessed local warehouse activity and likely future demand for such services. The study determined the suitability of an agricultural products distribution center complex to be located on tribal land in the Pendleton-Hermiston area.

1999: Confidential Client, Vancouver, Canada. Litigation support. Seaport reviewed the potential market for a deep-sea terminal site as expert witness and prepared an expert witness report.

1999: Seabulk Systems Inc., Vancouver, Canada. Evaluation of market for self-unloading bulk barge. Seaport evaluated the prospects for a self-unloading bulk barge to provide lighterage services in the Vancouver area. The barge would deliver small lots of special bulk cargoes to ships loading other cargoes at terminals in the Port of Vancouver and Fraser Port.

1998 – 1999: Confidential Client, USA. Litigation support for liquidated damages claim. Seaport provided litigation support services in a case involving liquidated and actual economic damages that resulted from late delivery of container cranes. As an expert witness, Seaport was responsible for reviews of case documents, development of position papers for mediation briefs, estimates of actual damages and participation in mediation hearings.

1998 – 2000: International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Assistance and advice for bid for container terminal concession. Seaport brought together ICTSI, a major international container terminal operating company, and a Tanzanian firm, Vertex Financial Services, to bid for the container terminal operating concession in the Port of Dar es Salaam. Seaport also assisted ICTSI and its local partner in their bid for the concession. The work involved gathering cost and operational data, preparing national and regional port traffic forecasts, evaluating the concession's financial performance, developing tender documents for the concession under internationally-competitive bidding, and advising on the ultimate bid price. In October 1999, the partnership was successful in its bid for the concession. Seaport provided executive and operational expertise to the partnership during the mobilization and initial hand-over period of the terminal from governmental to private operations. The container terminal privatization has been a success for both its operator, Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (now owned in part by Hutchison Port Holdings), and for Tanzania.

1998: Hecla Mining, USA. Seaport provided analysis of all transport options, audits of current rates, and formulation of alternatives for a northwestern US mining company exporting product throughout North America and worldwide.

1997-98: Kentucky-Tennessee Clay, USA. Seaport conducted an audit of current rates, estimated customer shipping costs and evaluated new transport options.

1997 – 1998: PT Hickling Indonesia for BAPPENAS (National Development Planning Agency), Jakarta, Indonesia. Technical assistance for private sector infrastructure development. PT Hickling Indonesia provided policy and legislative advice regarding identification, advertisement and procurement of private sector participation in Indonesian infrastructure projects. The work involves assistance with drafting of implementing legislation (signed by President Suharto in December 1997), development of a plan for an information centre, review of regulatory issues, and various other tasks. One Seaport individual was seconded to Hickling to provide expertise in infrastructure economics.

1997 – 1998: Confidential Client, U.S.A. Industrial mineral transportation study. Seaport conducted an audit of current rates, estimated customer shipping costs, and evaluated new transport options.

1997: Western Stevedoring Co. Ltd., Vancouver, B.C. Proposal for cruise vessel services. Seaport assisted Western Stevedoring in the development of a proposal to Vancouver Port Corporation in response to a request for proposals to provide cruise vessel services at the Canada Place Cruise Ship Terminal and the Ballantyne Terminal in the Port of Vancouver. Seaport formulated the overall proposal strategy and proposal outline, and worked with Western Stevedoring staff to write the proposal.

1997: Lauga Associates for Vancouver Wharves Ltd., Vancouver, B.C. Agri-bulk Products Terminal Rail Simulation Analysis. Seaport collected data and determined evaluation criteria for a simulation model of a Vancouver Wharves/BC Rail yard on the north shore of central Vancouver harbor. The model tested the cost effectiveness of a new loop track and dumper for various agricultural products as well as the suitability of various yard track configurations.

1997: PT Dwipantara Transconsult for PSA Corporation, Indonesia. Traffic forecast for Surabaya port area as part of a feasibility study of offshore land development. Seaport compiled and reconciled international, regional, Indonesian and local port traffic statistics, gathered national and provincial economic data, and interviewed shipping lines, agents, industrial estate developers and manufacturing companies. Seaport developed an overall forecast model for the port and prepared forecasts by cargo handling mode with a particular focus on containers.

1997: Monenco Agra Inc. for Asian Development Bank, Indonesia. Marine transport aspects of coal sector policy study. Seaport provided assistance to Monenco on the marine transport aspects of this coal policy study for the Indonesian ministry of energy and Asian Development Bank. The work involved building up costs of generic coal receiving terminals associated with Indonesian power plants and estimates of the costs of Indonesian and world coal shipping.

1997: Morrison Knudsen, Mining Logistics Study, East Africa. Assessment of rail and maritime logistics alternatives for a new copper mining venture in central Africa. Seaport's work included:

  • Investigation of various rail systems linking the mine site in central Africa with various ports on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, concentrating on port access.

  • Cost analysis of alternative ports and modes.

  • Analysis of backhaul sulfur and other mine consumables traffic.

  • Definition of requirements for specialized containers capable of handling copper cathodes in one direction and bulk prill sulfur in the other direction.

  • Investigation of safety requirements for sulfur transport.

  • Supervision of overall container concept design and analysis of ventilation requirements.

  • Preliminary negotiation with the selected port and marine terminal operator.

1997: Morrison Knudsen, Peru. Antamina trucking alternatives review. Seaport assessed two trucking alternatives for a copper mine in the Peruvian Andes. Seaport evaluated both routes via field interviews and costing, and as part of this work used a vehicle operating cost computer model developed by the World Bank.

1997: US Grains Council, Southeast Asia. Bulk agricultural product shipping and handling in Southeast Asia. Seaport studied current and projected feed grain transport costs and characteristics from the worlds producing regions to Indonesia and other Southeast Asian locales. The study provided the US Feed Grains Council with a comprehensive assessment of transport infrastructure and costs for feed grain imports throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, and the other nations of Southeast Asia. The study comprises five tasks:

  • Historical ocean shipping data base development

  • World loading ports survey

  • Handy and Panamax shipping analysis

  • Comprehensive analysis, reports and presentations

  • Review of inland transport systems.

1997: Barbados Port Authority, Barbados. Engineering services for the rehabilitation of the Port of Bridgetown and the design of a new cruise pier to be built under a build-operate transfer (BOT) arrangement. Seaport provided engineering expertise to assist with this project.

1997: Barbados Port Authority, Barbados. Continuing assistance by Seaport to the management of Barbados Port Authority. The work included a specialist advisory to the General Manager and Board, implementation of a new port tariff, improvements to the port's management information system and development of a maintenance management system.

1996: Confidential Client, Oakland, California, USA. Rail intermodal terminal pre-feasibility analysis. The project involved a preliminary assessment of the operational and financial feasibility of a large rail terminal designed to handle container traffic at the Port of Oakland. Seaport formulated a demand forecast, given competition form other US West Coast container ports, and evaluated design concepts produced by the Port of Oakland and judged their operational and economic effectiveness. Seaport also suggested alternative concept designs and operational structures, and developed a set of preliminary operating cost assessments and pro-forma financial statements. The client was contemplating financial participation in the project.

1996: Anacostia & Pacific Company, Inc., Mexico. Southeastern Mexico rail reconnaissance study. Seaport conducted a preliminary assessment of rail infrastructure and operational efficiencies of the Southeastern sector of the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico (Mexico City -Veracruz - Yucatan to Guatemala border), due to be privatized in 1997. The client was a New York-based investment and rail management firm contemplating financial participation in the project. The team performed an analysis of current traffic levels, tariff structures and levels of service. The team also assessed the operational status and reliability of the locomotive and wagon fleet, including shop operations and mechanical failure patterns, as well as yard operations. The report concluded with negotiating strategy suggestions if privatization was pursued, and suggested institutional and operational improvements which Anacostia & Pacific Company, Inc. should make if it became the successful bidder.

1996: Babtie BMT (Hong Kong) Ltd for Fairyoung Port Investments Limited, Nanjing, China. Traffic forecast for the Port of Nanjing. Fairyoung had entered a joint venture to operate the Nanjing Huining terminal at Xinshengwei, the foreign trade area of the Port of Nanjing. Seaport's work involved data gathering in Nanjing and compilation of statistics on economy of Jiangsu Province. Seaport evaluated the economics of container transshipment via Shanghai and Hong Kong, intermodal transport of high-value cargoes between Nanjing and Shanghai, and container transport on the Yangtze River. The study reviewed the implications for Port of Nanjing container traffic of Shanghai container port developments and introduction of linehaul vessel calls, creation of the Shanghai International Trade Centre, transshipment cargo restrictions imposed by the Chinese national government, and opening of the Nanjing - Shanghai expressway.

1996: Barbados Port Authority, Barbados. Specialist advisory to the General Manager and Board to achieve change in organization, management, operating systems and work practices at the Port of Bridgetown. A Seaport advisor spent over half a year working with the management of Barbados Port Authority.

1996: Barbados Port Authority, Barbados. Study of management information system. Seaport led team of MIS specialists that defined the port's needs for cargo control, accounting, statistical and executive information in a mixed mainframe - personal computer environment. Over 1996-97, Seaport provided specialists to implement the recommendations of the study.

1996: Barbados Port Authority, Barbados. Port tariff development. Seaport worked with Barbados Port Authority staff to rewrite the port tariff. Seaport's work included development of the structure of the tariff, its clauses and individual rates, and testing the results in a financial model.

1996: Fluor Daniel Wright Ltd., Brazil. Privatization of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD, now Vale). Seaport joined the Merrill Lynch - N M Rothschild et. al. consortium study of privatizing CVRD, the Brazilian state mining and industrial holding company. The consortiums client was the National Economic and Social Development Bank of Brazil (BNDES).

Seaport was responsible for reviews of the ports of Tubarão and Ponta da Madeira, and Navegação Vale do Rio Doce S/A (Docenave), CVRDs bulk shipping company. The work involved evaluating the management and operations of the ports, and modeling the ports financial performances over the next 15 years as part of the valuation exercise. The study also involved detailed financial evaluation and modeling of Docenave.

As measures of the scale of the project, CVRD was worth some US$10 billion in total and the share offering was US$3.4 billion. The ports of Tubarão and Ponta da Madeira handled between them over 100 million tonnes a year of cargo (Tubarão was the worlds largest bulk loading port). Docenave, then the tenth largest bulk shipping company in the world in terms of beneficially-owned dead-weight tonnage, transported over 30 million tonnes a year of bulk and semi-bulk cargoes.

1995: P&O Australia, Indonesia Port Corporation II, McMillan Britton & Kell Pty Ltd., et al, Indonesia. Bojonegara container port feasibility study. Container traffic through the Port of Tanjung Priok (adjacent to Jakarta) grew at some 20 to 25 percent a year for the last decade. Indonesia Port Corporation II (which operates Tanjung Priok) and private Indonesian investors decided to evaluate a new, private container port in the Bojonegara area west of Jakarta. These parties in turn engaged a consortium of Australian companies to investigate the feasibility of building the container port under a build-operate-transfer contract. The Australian consortium retained Seaport and PT Dwipantara Transconsult (an Indonesian consultancy) to assist with the feasibility study. Seaport's role included:

  • A container traffic forecast. The study involved gathering port traffic and national economic data, reviewing the port hinterland, a forecast of total and container traffic for western Java, and an evaluation of the Bojonegara terminal's competitiveness with Tanjung Priok.

  • Development of a ministerial position paper on the rationale for port development at Bojonegara.

  • A review of Indonesian and regional port tariffs, and development of a tariff schedule for the new port.

  • A review of world, regional and local container shipping to choose the design ship for the port.

1995: Vancouver Port Corporation, Vancouver, Canada. Port operations study. As a prelude to filling the bight between the Centerm and Ballantyne terminals, Vancouver Port Corporation engaged Seaport to develop a plan that would harmonize cruise ship operations and cargo handling at the combined terminals.

1995: Vancouver Port Corporation, Vancouver, Canada. Brief on port industrial relations to an Industrial Inquiry Commission on West Coast Ports. Vancouver Port Corporation retained Seaport to prepare a brief on port industry labor relations to submit to the Commission.

1995: Nuevo Central Argentino, S.A. Railway, Argentina. Auto transport feasibility studies. Seaport conducted a preliminary analysis of auto transport alternatives for service between auto manufacturing plants near Rosario, Argentina and Buenos Aires port facilities. The project began with a tour of North American facilities for NCA staff. Following this, fieldwork in Argentina determined staff requirements and training needs for a new automobile business unit, and calculated unit costs of service for each technology. The study concluded with a design review of an intermodal terminal to be located near Buenos Aires Retiro Station and development of an alternative design.

1995: Cruz Blanca, S.A., Chile. Feasibility study of Quintero Bay container port. Seaport began this project with an evaluation of intermodal container markets (see below) and a review of container port sites in Chile. It progressed to a competitive evaluation of a new port at Quintero Bay with the ports of Valparaiso and San Antonio, and managing engineering studies on the port.

1995: Confidential Client, U.S.A. Terminal impact analysis. Seaport analyzed several alternative designs for a large rail intermodal terminal adjacent to a mixed-use and residential area. Seaport also derived likely operating costs (i.e., switching requirements) for each alternative.

1995: Client Cruz Blanca, S.A., Chile. Container rail market Assessment. The project by Seaport was designed to evaluate a possible intermodal rail container service in central and southern Chile. This was performed for Cruz Blanca, S.A., a Chilean insurance company which had obtained the national concession for freight operations of the Chilean National Railway (FEPASA). The analysis began with an assessment of truck competition, especially along the corridor from Santiago to Puerto Montt, as well as impact of eventual international linkages to Argentina. The team developed an initial concept for an intermodal business unit, its staffing, training, and terminal development on the outskirts of Santiago. The project concluded with an overview of the international used rail wagon market with a view to providing suitable container wagons suitable for this service.

1995: Ministry of Public Works, Chile. Review of container port design. Seaport reviewed plans for the conversion of three berths at Valparaiso to container use. In 1996, Seaport provided specialist personnel to assist with the port rehabilitation.

1994 – 1995: Delcan International Corporation for Barbados Port Authority, Barbados. Port reform and expansion study. Barbados Port Authority awarded Delcan this study of the Port of Bridgetown (funded by Inter-American Development Bank). Delcan subsequently engaged Seaport to conduct particular tasks:

  • Assessment of container terminal operations, infrastructure, equipment, maintenance and investment needs.

  • Identification of needs for a marketing strategy, strategic plan and port commercialization.

  • Review of past financial performance of the port and the port tariff.

  • Economic and financial evaluations of the expansion project.

1994: Vancouver Port Corporation, Vancouver, Canada. Cruise terminal stevedoring study. Vancouver Port Corporation retained Seaport to estimate the costs of stevedoring at the Port of Vancouver's two cruise terminals. The project involved detailed estimation of manpower, equipment, management and support staff, and overhead costs. Seaport also modeled the financial performance and determined the profitability of the services.

1994: Fluor Daniel Wright Ltd. for Mount Isa Mines, Argentina. Mineral concentrate transport study. Fluor Daniel retained Seaport to manage a study of transport options for this new copper-gold mine. The project involved an evaluation of rail, road and slurry pipeline transport from the mine site in the Andes to the Parana River and alternative port locations on the river.

Email Seaport Group

Home | Contact Us | Links | Seaport Publications | Site Map
Market, Planning and Feasibility | Management and Operations | Privatization, Mergers and Acquisitions | Intermodal and Logistics | Container Terminal Planning | Container Terminal Technology | Strategic Advice
Kent Busk | William Hall | Terence Smyth | David Wignall