- Development of Defined Strategic Intent – 5-Year ‘rolling’ strategic development plans supporting annual business plans.
- Governance and Succession plans and supporting manuals.
- Strategic Reviews of alignment of initiatives to National, State and Local freight tasks and Regional Economic Development.
- Strategic Reviews of alignment of initiatives to site-specific Port and/or Terminal node freight tasks.
- Trade Facilitation and Product Realization Reviews.
- Assessment of “Shareholder Value-Add” and “Market Value Add” for Port and Freight entities.
Case study two - Iron ore mining project:
Assess client export needs at inception of an A$ 150M project and provide advice as to development strategy as well as participate in project control group.
Provide advice in relation to approvals, port access terminal interface arrangements and Government policy. Provide industry network introductions and intelligence to progress transport logistics and wider project arrangements.
Facilitate infrastructure and superstructure, plant and equipment deliberations and formulate service contract decisions with client as project evolves.
Services have included advice in relation to contracts of affreightment, project management, modal choices, liaison with transport infrastructure, superstructure and services providers as well as participation in the investment due diligence process.
Case study ten - Strategic planning and policy interface advice:
Iron Ore Junior - port access issues - PALMS developed a 'Four quadrant strategy' ensuring that the client was able to choose when to behave proactively, competitively or conservatively but never totally defensively. The strategy, coupled with concise knowledge of the policy (settings), interface ensured that the client remained focused on the end result when dealing with difficult issues over a protracted period. The strategy, its justification and deliverables, was able to be articulated from the outset of the process and updated at six monthly intervals without disrupting other critical project deliverables.
Case study eleven - Strategic planning and policy interface advice:
Iron Ore Junior - port access issues - PALMS maintained a 'Four quadrant strategy' ensuring that the (case study ten) client remained in a leading competitive port access position despite definitive weakening of its own resources due to port and Government prevarication. This measured and strengthened competitive position held the client ‘ahead’ in strategic terms until such time as market forces had restored, competitors and their alliances had weakened and the original project had been funded.
Case study thirteen – Port access and port service advice for container operator:
Provided advice in relation to Port Authority (against the background of its enabling Legislation) enforcing a monopoly position in relation to port services, trading terms and pricing. Enabled a ‘foundation’ position to be set from which to commence a longer-term strategy to challenge the ports behavior. This was successful with the operator able to comprehend the degree of inflexibility and strategize to develop a productive ‘footprint’ off the port precincts.
Case study fifteen – Port Services – “contestability and access” – port ownership options “public or private” – strategic options for client in relation to Regional Port:
Client dissonance with operations, commercial ethics and governance process at a major regional port. Provided advice in relation to port service options, set against the background of the (then) current situation, managing market power (leasing and licensing) and closing considerations in respect of wider services options. Provided background and advice as to Port Authority Policy Settings, present classification, drivers for change, options for change and various alternative ownership propositions with timeline and recommendations for change strategy.
Case study sixteen – Container Terminal Hardstand – Access Proposal Advice:
Provided port access and service advice to client seeking dedicated container hardstand. Followed by strategic options and stages for procurement of same and backed up with positivisms of the impact of congestion that would be realisable as a result of the initiative. An overall improvement for client, the port and the remailer of the facility users.
Case study twenty – Third party terminal access – Mobile plant and equipment deployment, inducement and access terms:
Engage with major grain exporting entity to facilitate access to latent berth infrastructure capacity by way of deploying mobile harbor cranes on their berth apron. Establish benefits for both parties and commence process of establishing Heads-of-Agreement Terms, access arrangements to deliverer final Deeds and services provision arrangements for operations Works continued to establish operational parameters in relation to physical accommodation of the equipment with respect to deck loading and working tolerances as well as operations establishment.
Case study twenty-three – Contract of Sale for Iron Ore:
Develop “best-practice” Contract of Sale for iron ore in collaboration with PALMS industry associates/peers eschewing customary “free-on-board” terms historically utilised in that trade sector. Attend negotiations, assist/facilitate final drafting in China and secure execution of the contract; valued circa A$10B.
Case study twenty-four - Contract of Affreightment for Iron Ore:
Develop “best-practice” Contract of Affreightment for iron ore in collaboration with PALMS industry associates/peers effecting cost-and-freight terms, harmonizes with the Contract of Sale to avoid dispute. Attend negotiations, assist/facilitate final drafting in Australia with client enabling them to secure execution of the Contract of Sale referred to in case study twenty-three.
Case study twenty-six – Assessment of European Vacu-unloaders for deployment in Australian Ports:
Attended site of decommissioning of fossil-fuel power station on the River Thames, UK. Survey, assess and report on the condition, suitability and practicability of the (prospective) bid-purchase of two VEGAN Vacu-unloaders for deployment to Australian Ports. Reporting subsequently related to General Arrangements and condition, fixed galleries, umbilical plant, pneumatic plant, unloading rigging, midstream barging applicability/practicability, prospective Australian Port sites for deployment and strategic acquisition considerations.
Case study twenty-eight – Western Australian containerised regional port export node development:
These works examined, and proved-up, the feasibility of harmonizing and existing container service from a southern WA regional port with another near-capital city regional port with a view to inducing cargo into the ‘passing’ supply chain as a cheaper alternative to being ‘captive’ to the neighboring WA capital city port.
The service strings examined utilised an existing cellular container carrier and integrated a “conbulker” to provide diverse capacity. The prospect facilitated an alternative ‘least-cost-pathway’ for freight ‘captive’ to the capital city port. Reduced indivisibility of joint supply in the existing capacity on route to the southern WA port and delivered an eleven-day frequency of sailing with round voyages on each vessel set at 24 days on ‘econospeed’.
The value-proposition, beyond alternative pathway and improvement of indivisibility, was provision of ‘buffer’ capacity to ameliorate seasonality, improved frequency of sailings over the WA regional ports, provision of southbound repositioning of containers, significant cost reduction as well as integration of solid bulk capacity within the supply chain.
The Master Process Flows for the tasks were compared, including landside freight costs comparison with justification for a ‘hybrid’ task being established; this being more cost effective than the existing hybrid task over the adjacent capital city port. This initiative was not commissioned due to competing interests with vessel capacity within the clients ‘fleet’ as well as uncertainty in relation to long-term plans, and capacity available, in one of the regional ports included.
Case study twenty-nine – Subject Matter Expert opinion:
Provide specialist advice to Legal firm whose client was claimant in dispute relating to representations made when a major Australian asset was purchased by overseas buyers. Information related to governance, port and terminal management.
Case study thirty – Solid Bulk Solutions over environmentally sensitive port setting:
Provide initial advice in relation to the prospects of resumption of solid bilk mineral concentrates exports. Develop initial “fit-for-purpose” options with general observations to be socialized with regulators and port managers as well as observations and conclusions. Followed up with document setting out broad options ahead of formal scoping study referred to in case study thirty-one.
Case study thirty-one – Scoping “world-class solid bulk exporting facility for WA Regional port:
Undertake complete scoping study for “export of mineral concentrates in solid bulk over a sensitive WA regional port. The justification being a modal shift from containerised to solid bulk transportation with concomitant cost savings but with improved environmental conditions.
This work included a strong concept proposal and options background given the critical social, political, environmental and commercial sensitivities relating to the matter. The works surfaced “global best practice” for the handling of mineral concentrate (sulphides) in solid bulk and then turned to augmentation of an alternate berth within the existing precincts of the port to facilitate the initiative. The latter following the concept of port infrastructure, superstructure and services development all ‘matching’ with “minimum intervention through a range of existing infrastructure”.
Major components of the works were selection of the ‘design vessel’, interface with the concentrate product characteristics, berth configuration and modifications, proposed ship loader and ‘cascade’ chutes, enclosed conveyors and galleries and a ‘world-class-facility’ negatively pressured storage and receivals shed.
Tonnage throughput and concomitant commercial parameters were also examined with breakeven tonnages and Net Present Value limits expressed; in addition to inclusion of a “Freight Advantage Contribution” charge leveraging contribution to capital against the background of savings when changing mode from containers to solid bulk. Approvals and stakeholder consultation were articulated as were elements of Governance, including shareholder engagement and wide-scope risk management considerations.
Case study thirty-five – Refrigerated Container Specialist WA – dispute with capital city Port Authority – Lease Renewal Process:
Provide Port subject matter expert and expert legal advice interfaces for strategic, governance, contractual advice in relation to Port Authority obligations and processes relating to enforcement of terms during lease renewal process. Incorporate legal interfaces to attend consumer and competition, administrative and contractual law matters. Strategize, in concert with client’s Board, exit from the Port Authority precinct and ongoing attention to compensation for surrendered assets as well as damages. Attend Government and ministerial interfaces as well as representations to ACCC, CCC, OAG and WA Ombudsman.
Case study thirty-six – Port Precinct “sitting tenant” WA – contractual and legal challenges with capital city Port Authority:
Matter of enforcement of Lease Agreement terms which were ultra-vires with both the Agreements and the Port Authority enabling legislation. Provide Port subject matter expert and expert legal advice interfaces for strategic, governance, contractual advice in relation to Lessee rights and responsibilities and the Port Authority obligations and processes relating to enforcement of terms during enforced lease terms period.
Project and Logistics Management Strategies
STRATEGY