Transaction & Advisory Services

DIRECT SUPPORT SERVICES TO SPONSORS, BANKS AND INVESTORS

Black Quay have extensive relationships across the banking and investment sectors having become established as leading advisors on port and freight related transactions around the world. We work directly with investors in identifying potential investment opportunities as well as providing support from both commercial and technical advisory perspectives on deals and funding campaigns once teams mobilise. If you are part of an investment group, contact us and we would be glad to give some early advice on suggested processes.

EXPERT TECHNICAL & TRADE DUE DILIGENCE

Black Quay are one of the world’s leading providers of both technical and trade related due diligence on port, freight and logistics related transactions.

We have been successfully involved in some of the world’s largest port sales and specialize in buy-side services, although we do also provide sell-side advice.

We are often well positioned for port sales having either been involved directly in the planning of the facilities previously, or having positioned for the work over time, helping to give our client’s a winning edge.

We are far removed from the generic engineering consultancies in our provision of advisory services and we have a reputation for both delving deep into technical matters for our clients and for providing innovative ways to mitigate risks, increase value offering and reduce costs.

We work intrinsically with our clients during deals, sitting with you and the wider team to help lift your proposal.

Our port planning expertise is almost always called for on both port and intermodal rail related transactions, helping to build a clear and reliable picture around capacity limitations and potential, capital and operational cost testing and analysis, advice on operations and staffing, detailed fleet profiling, equipment profiling, asset useful lives and conditions, as well as advice on external factors such as landside transport and competition.

There are no limits to the type of facilities we provide advice on, and although we are a well-known leader in container terminal due diligence, we have provided services on bulk, auto and cruise terminals as well. As a specialist consultancy, we offer only the most senior industry staff on deals at all times as we appreciate the risks involved, however our structure and fees allows our clients to reduce due diligence and bidding costs, often dramatically.

Black Quay also provides detailed short, medium and long-term trade analysis for container terminals, however we also work closely with other trade advisory consultants around the world and can form teams to suit your requirements.

GOVERNMENTAL PROJECT ADVICE

Black Quay are trusted advisors to governmental transport departments around the world, as well as directly to port authorities.

Our staff have specific experience in understanding and dealing with the requirements of government to ensure adequate port capacity and availability in order to facilitate trade.

Our work has included detailed feasibility studies, the preparation of bankable business cases, economic and trade analysis and advisory services on port privatizations.

DEAL ADVISORY TEAM MANAGEMENT

Alongside our own due diligence services, Black Quay can also provide complete diligence team management on behalf of our clients.

This includes procurement assistance and advice on trade and environmental consultants, as well as daily management of the due diligence process for our clients.

This often involves us working closely with the entire team to drive value and best results from the process from day one through to binding bids. We also stay with our client post bid to help both close down deals and implement any advice coming out of the due diligence process.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE AND POSITIONING

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PORT MANAGEMENT & COST STRUCTURE ADVICE

Our company includes staff with strong background in port and terminal management.

This allows us to provide strategic managerial and operational advice on how to streamline and improve management teams and terminal operations teams, reducing overheads whilst increasing managerial potency.

PURCHASE OPTIMIZATION PLANNING

During our delivery of technical or trade related due diligence services to our clients, we spend a great of effort in understanding the return mechanisms of the purchase.

In many instances, we are retained beyond the bid period to help implement the initiatives that we have identified to improve returns, reduce risks or costs.

In some cases, we place our experts with our clients at the place of purchase in order to provide an extra level of integration or implementation expertise.

BID PREPARATION ASSISTANCE

Black Quay maintains in-house marketing skills to improve the visualization of our investigation and study results so they can be integrated into our client’s bids as they see fit.

This includes 3d rendering, InDesign, and terminal visual models.

ASSET, INFRASTRUCTURE AND SYSTEMS ASSESSMENTS

On deals, Black Quay provide expert advisory services on asset maintenance and asset management systems and protocols, as well as provide direct opinion on asset, infrastructure and terminal system conditions.

We calculate serviceable and ultimate asset lives, and do the same for fixed infrastructure. This allows our clients to push out maintenance capex, understand quantum around growth capex and opex increases or decreases over time, depending on the solutions we derive.

INTERMODAL & LANDSIDE CONNECTIVITY INVESTIGATIONS

Understanding the value and risks associated with the purchase of a port does not end at the port gate.

Black Quay investigates the suitability and capacity of road and rail networks as they connect to the port in order to understand their effect on ultimate port capacity over the period of the investment.

We also enjoy close working relationships with transport planners who can provide further analysis of the wider landside transport network when this is required.

DETAILED CAPEX AND OPEX MODELLING

Whilst we do not provide quantity surveying services to the market, Black Quay have a strong and established reputation in the derivation of detailed cost calculations for port related transactions, covering both operational costs and capital costs at all manner of shipping terminals and intermodal systems.

All our work in cost calculation is done simultaneously with terminal and asset capacity analysis. This includes complex analysis and build-up of growth capex requirements over time to meet capacity needs, maintenance capex and opex.

On due diligence projects, we build cost models to fit into your wider models with ease, or sit with the team to input the data.

ADVANCED TERMINAL OPERATING MODELLING AND ANALYSIS

Please refer to our operational port planning services for a full list and description of our services in this discipline.

FLEET AND EQUIPMENT FORECASTING

As a forward thinking consultancy, Black Quay is a trusted provider of detailed fleet profiling covering all shipping types, including container, dry and liquid bulk, cruise, ferry and automotive vessels.

We are often asked to predict vessel sizes and fleet profiles well beyond the short term, and we have delivered some of the most complex long-term future fleet analysis ever undertaken.

Our work includes both local and global fleet analysis through first principle investigations into trade routes, customer trends and
needs, port related restrictions, political and economic influencers, vessel technical limitations and drivers, and physical access constraints.

We build tailored new build philosophies as well as complex cascading models as part of our analysis, ensuring that any recommendations are backed up with dependable data. We have carried out detailed fleet analysis across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, South East Asia and the Middle East and hold large databases of fleet breakdowns which we maintain monthly.

Seperately, Black Quay hold specialist knowledge in both historic and new state of the art terminal equipment specifications, allowing us to assess current terminal systems for their adequacy in the face of increasing trade, and to determine the suitability of new equipment for that particular terminal. This includes container and non-container handling equipment at all port types.

PORT AND FREIGHT RELATED ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Black Quay is no ordinary engineering consultancy. Our focus on technical planning is joined to and connected with our considerable capability in sea trade and economic analysis covering all primary industries and trade types.

Our transport economics and technical planning prowess means that we provide our clients with strategic solutions that takes all factors into account when developing strategic port masterplans.

Equally, Black Quay enjoys strong relationships with several other economic advisory consultancies who we work equally well with in delivering first class results to our clients anywhere in the world.

Dynamic & Static Terminal Simulation

Black Quay provides detailed shipping terminal simulations in order to determine both existing and ultimate capacities as well as to discover bottlenecks or opportunities for efficiency refinements.

Although there are a small number of consultants around the world who provide terminal simulation services, most are academic based and are often restricted to container terminals analysis. Black Quay provide tailored simulations based on realistic inputs and scenarios and we are often asked to test sensitive assumptions on terminal equipment types and performances. We are one of the few consultants to provide first principle and tailored modelling not only of container terminals, but also for liquid and dry bulk terminals, passenger terminals and auto facilities.

We use a mix of our own exclusive models as well as state of the art dynamic simulation software. Should you require advice on what is most suitable for your needs, please contact us and we will be glad to assist.

OPERATIONAL LAYOUT PLANNING

Alongside our renowned terminal modeling and simulation expertise, Black Quay is a leading provider of operational layout plans for container terminals, bulk terminals, auto and general cargo terminals, cruise terminals and ferry terminals.

These are often developed as a response to our clients wishing to reduce operational costs, improve productivity or increase capacity without having to face the cost of footprint development.

Our port plans include detailed equipment specification, operational cost analysis, quay, yard and gate layouts and operational pathway and system identifications.

We also typically phase operational development enhancements to suit the needs of our clients.

VESSEL INTERACTION & NAVIGATION MODELLING

Black Quay maintain skills and software for vessel to vessel and vessel to berth analysis, including assessment of mooring and berthing loads on quay structures as well as determining safe vessel passing clearances as part of our port planning.

We provide a mix of both desktop analysis as well as guidance and management of full bridge simulations where necessary.

EFFICIENCY GAIN STUDIES & ASSET SWEATING STRATEGIES

We are experts in providing advice to our port authority and terminal operator clients of all trade types to uncover methods for terminal, channel and transport network operational efficiency improvements.

We also provide ways to push out the service lives of both fixed and moving terminal assets and infrastructure.

We work closely with our clients through this process and have saved many millions of dollars in unnecessary spending.

AUTOMATION STRATEGIES & PLANNING

Black Quay are highly regarded providers of container terminal automation analysis and planning.

We have developed capacity models and feasibility studies for both greenfield state of the art automated terminals, and for upgrades of existing manual terminals with a variety of semi-automated and fully automated terminal solutions.

We provide advice to our clients on both the operational and cost implications of terminal automation and help plan for phased integration across the quay, yard and gate. In addition, we also provide advice on the likely berth and quay requirements for automated shipping as this becomes an operational reality on the seas.

OPERATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY ADVICE

Black Quay have provided plans to port authorities and terminal operators on how to reduce primary energy consumption across both container and non-container terminals.

Our staff have introduced cutting edge green terminal initiatives across both landside and waterside operations. This has included electrification of traditional fossil fuel terminal systems, and placement of renewable energy systems in the yard equipment.

In addition, Black Quay also provides advice on operational safety protocols across all terminal types.

SIMOPS PLANNING

As existing ports come under ever increasing pressure to upgrade capacity, drive down costs and emissions, the integration of expensive new infrastructure and operating equipment must occur within already busy port environments.

Whilst avoiding the safety risks associated with this are paramount, the cost implications to terminal operators due to operational downtime is often huge.

Black Quay staff have excellent track record in developing simultaneous operations plans (SIMOPS) for terminals around the world.

Whilst delays are often inevitable, reducing them to a minimum can save our clients a great deal. Our SIMOPS plans outline clear strategies to deliver automation projects and other terminal works in a seamless fashion whilst maintaining current operations.

INTERMODAL CONNECTIVITY STUDIES AND ADVICE

Black Quay are experts in the analysis and planning of intermodal terminals.

We provide operational analysis, planning and design services for intermodal facilities, which includes operational linkage to the sea terminals as well as to inland ports and logistics distribution centres.

As road congestion increases and subsequent demand for rail transport of containers grows, assessing the technical feasibility and cost of intermodal rail is fast becoming a primary concern for port authorities and private operators, and Black Quay provides our services to both.

STRATEGIC PORT MASTERPLANNING

We assess port demand over the short, medium and long terms. We are one of the few consultants in the world to tackle strategic port planning out to 100 years in the future, which requires very specific skill sets and future state visioning.

Almost all our work in this highly prestigious field is linked with assessing regional, national and international port systems to determine their feasible lives. This is then aligned with world’s best practice assessment of alternative shipping port strategy over the longer term, including identification of optimal port locations from waterside and landside transport, access and trade needs perspectives.

We have been involved in fixing historic negative legacies at ports around the world due to previous poor or non-existent planning, and we are proud of our contribution to a changing trade and supply chain world as existing city center ports come under commercial and capacity pressures, alongside an increased focus on emissions and green philosophy. This has included delivering short, medium and long term port plans across the northern and southern hemispheres, and for all manner and size of ports.

FLEET FORECASTING & SHIPPING STUDIES

As a forward thinking consultancy, Black Quay is a trusted provider of detailed fleet profiling covering all shipping types, including container, dry and liquid bulk, cruise, ferry and automotive vessels.

We are often asked to predict vessel sizes and fleet profiles well beyond the short term, and we have delivered some of the most complex long-term future fleet analysis ever undertaken.

Our work includes both local and global fleet analysis through first principle investigations into trade routes, customer trends and
needs, port related restrictions, political and economic influencers, vessel technical limitations and drivers, and physical access constraints.

We build tailored new build philosophies as well as complex cascading models as part of our analysis, ensuring that any recommendations are backed up with dependable data. We have carried out detailed fleet analysis across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, South East Asia and the Middle East and hold large databases of fleet breakdowns which we maintain monthly.

SUPPLY CHAIN MAPPING & ORIGIN/ DESTINATION STUDIES

As a key part of our strategic port planning offering, Black Quay build tailored supply chain maps and origin/destination maps for all types commodities. This is linked with our work to assess market demand, consumerism and manufacturing demographics, trade shifts and technological influencers.

Our work is both regional and global, and we often tie this in with our fleet profiling work and wider strategic port planning in terms of assessing future port demands and geographical positioning.

COMPETITION REVIEWS

It is common for us to provide reviews on both existing and potential competition to our port authority and terminal operator clients as part of the preparation of port masterplans.

However, Black Quay also provide this service separately, which is often called for as part of sale due diligence, or to assess the technical and financial risks to our clients should a new competitive entity enter into their market.

We work closely with our clients to assess the magnitude of any competition threat and to develop mitigation strategies to protect market share over time.

PORT & FREIGHT RELATED ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

Black Quay is no ordinary engineering consultancy. Our focus on technical planning is joined to and connected with our considerable capability in sea trade and economic analysis covering all primary industries and trade types.

Our transport economics and technical planning prowess means that we provide our clients with strategic solutions that takes all factors into account when developing strategic port masterplans.

Equally, Black Quay enjoys strong relationships with several other economic advisory consultancies who we work equally well with in delivering first class results to our clients anywhere in the world.

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE ADVICE

Our company includes staff with strong background in port and terminal management.

This allows us to provide strategic managerial and operational advice on how to streamline and improve management teams and terminal operations teams, reducing overheads whilst increasing managerial potency.