Port Investment and Feasibility Analysis Training Course

Participants can assess the market position and competitive context of a proposed port project.

• Hinterland definition using origin-destination flows, corridors and competing gateways
• Cargo segmentation by container, dry bulk, liquid bulk and breakbulk
• Trade data sources: customs records, AIS data, port statistics
• Competitor benchmarking against tariffs, capacity, connectivity and service reliability
• Shipping-line network decisions affecting gateway selection and transhipment volumes
• Market-share analysis separating captive cargo from contestable cargo

Participants can develop demand forecasts using transparent assumptions and alternative scenarios.

• Top-down forecasts from GDP, trade elasticity and commodity outlooks
• Bottom-up forecasts built from shippers, industrial projects and contracts
• Trend extrapolation tested against structural breaks and exceptional events
• Scenario planning using base, upside, downside and delayed-ramp cases
• Container demand expressed in TEU, call sizes and dwell-time assumptions
• Forecast documentation distinguishing evidence, assumptions, judgements and data limitations

Participants can compare potential sites against operational, commercial and development criteria.

• Multi-criteria analysis weighting nautical access, land, connectivity and environmental constraints
• Bathymetric conditions, dredging needs and channel-maintenance cost implications
• Landside access assessment covering road, rail, inland waterways and utilities
• Land-use compatibility with industrial zones, urban development and protected areas
• Phased master planning aligned with demand triggers and available capital
• Site-screening matrices documenting exclusions, trade-offs and development conditions

Participants can translate cargo forecasts into terminal capacity and operating requirements.

• Berth occupancy calculations using vessel calls, service time and target reliability
• Yard-capacity estimates from dwell time, stacking density and peak factors
• Quay crane productivity measured through gross moves and net moves
• Equipment fleet sizing for cranes, tractors, reachstackers and loaders
• Gate capacity analysis using transaction times and peak-hour arrivals
• Operating concept selection for container, bulk, Ro-Ro and multipurpose terminals

Participants can define a phased technical scope linked to service, capacity and cost requirements.

• Functional requirements for berths, yards, warehouses, gates and utilities
• Design vessel selection using draft, beam, length and cargo profile
• Marine works scope: breakwaters, dredging, reclamation and quay structures
• Landside works covering pavement, drainage, power, water and security
• Technology choices for terminal operating systems, gates and cargo handling
• Phasing plans triggered by utilisation, congestion and contractual demand commitments

Participants can identify approval requirements and material environmental and social risks.

• Environmental and social impact assessment scope for port developments
• IFC Performance Standards applied to land, labour and community risks
• Dredging impacts on sediment, turbidity, disposal and marine habitats
• Stakeholder mapping for fishing communities, residents, tenants and authorities
• Permitting pathways covering maritime, environmental, planning and customs approvals
• Resettlement and livelihood risks assessed through early project screening

Participants can prepare order-of-magnitude capital estimates and select appropriate procurement approaches.

• Capital-cost breakdown structures for marine works, civil works and equipment
• Class 5 estimate ranges using AACE International cost-estimate classification
• Contingency allowances based on scope maturity, market conditions and risk
• Foreign-exchange exposure in imported equipment and specialised marine construction
• Procurement routes: EPC, design-build, construction management and separate packages
• Bid evaluation criteria balancing price, capability, delivery and lifecycle cost

Participants can estimate operating costs and construct revenue assumptions for a port asset.

• Fixed and variable operating costs separated by activity drivers
• Labour rosters, maintenance, utilities, security and administration cost assumptions
• Tariff schedules covering vessel, cargo, storage and ancillary services
• Revenue forecasts linked to volumes, tariff escalation and collection rates
• Minimum-volume guarantees, take-or-pay clauses and commercial-risk implications
• Working-capital assumptions for receivables, payables, inventories and cash balances

Participants can structure an auditable financial model for a port investment case.

• Model architecture separating inputs, calculations, outputs and audit checks
• Timeline conventions for construction, operations, depreciation and financing periods
• Integrated profit and loss, cash flow and balance sheet schedules
• Debt sculpting aligned with projected cash available for debt service
• Tax assumptions covering depreciation, loss carry-forwards and withholding taxes
• Model audit checks for balance integrity, circularity and formula consistency

Participants can calculate and interpret financial return measures for port projects.

• Discounted cash flow using nominal and real cash-flow conventions
• Net present value calculated from free cash flow assumptions
• Internal rate of return limitations for unconventional cash-flow profiles
• Equity IRR and project IRR distinguished for sponsor decisions
• Debt service coverage ratio tested against lender covenant requirements
• Payback period and discounted payback used as supplementary measures

Participants can assess financing options and estimate an appropriate project discount rate.

• Capital structures combining equity, senior debt, mezzanine and grants
• Weighted average cost of capital derived from funding assumptions
• Country risk, currency risk and construction risk in discount rates
• Project-finance lender requirements for contracts, security and reserve accounts
• Loan terms assessed through tenor, grace period, amortisation and covenants
• Blended-finance structures for public-benefit port infrastructure components

Participants can evaluate economic benefits alongside commercial financial returns.

• Economic cost-benefit analysis distinguishing financial prices from economic values
• Shadow pricing for taxes, subsidies, labour and foreign exchange
• User benefits estimated from reduced transport, waiting and inventory costs
• Externalities assessed for emissions, accidents, congestion and local pollution
• Economic NPV and economic IRR calculated from social discount rates
• Distributional analysis identifying beneficiaries, losers and public compensation needs

Participants can quantify key uncertainties and prioritise risk responses for port projects.

• Risk registers linking causes, events, consequences, owners and responses
• Sensitivity analysis testing volume, tariff, capex and operating-cost variables
• Tornado diagrams ranking assumptions by impact on project NPV
• Scenario analysis combining correlated demand, delay and cost outcomes
• Monte Carlo simulation producing probability distributions for investment returns
• Risk-adjusted decision criteria for sponsor, authority and lender perspectives

Participants can compare port delivery models and allocate key project risks.

• Service-port, tool-port, landlord-port and private-port operating models
• Concession agreements defining scope, term, exclusivity and investment obligations
• Risk allocation matrices for demand, construction, marine access and force majeure
• Tariff regulation mechanisms: caps, indexation, review periods and approvals
• Performance indicators for productivity, safety, service and asset condition
• Step-in rights, termination payments and handback conditions

Participants can test whether a port project has the evidence and contracts needed for funding.

• Due-diligence workstreams covering market, technical, legal, financial and environmental evidence
• Bankability assessment of permits, land rights, contracts and sponsor capability
• Offtake agreements evaluated for volume commitments, creditworthiness and termination provisions
• Independent engineer roles during construction monitoring and operational testing
• Lender information requirements for model assumptions and base-case evidence
• Red-flag reviews identifying unresolved issues before investment-committee approval

Participants can establish governance, stakeholder engagement and decision controls for a port project.

• Stakeholder engagement plans matched to influence, interest and project impact
• Governance structures separating sponsor oversight, management and independent review
• Stage-gate submissions defining evidence thresholds for investment decisions
• Decision logs recording assumptions, approvals, conditions and accountabilities
• Conflict-of-interest controls for procurement, concessions and public approvals
• Communications plans addressing community concerns, investor questions and public scrutiny

Participants can assemble decision-ready feasibility findings into a clear investment document.

• Feasibility-study structure linking market, technical, financial and risk findings
• Executive summaries presenting recommendation, value drivers and decision conditions
• Assumption registers showing source, owner, confidence and update requirements
• Investment memoranda tailored for boards, lenders, ministries and investment committees
• Visual exhibits using demand charts, cash flows and risk heat maps
• Recommendations framed as approve, defer, revise, procure or reject

Participants can prioritise multiple port projects using strategic, financial and delivery criteria.

• Portfolio screening against strategic fit, return, readiness and risk
• Capital rationing decisions using NPV, affordability and funding availability
• Interdependency mapping for berths, dredging, road access and utilities
• Development roadmaps sequencing studies, approvals, procurement and construction
• Benefits-realisation plans tracking throughput, service and economic-performance targets
• Post-investment review criteria comparing actual outcomes with approved assumptions

Participants can build, review and present a complete port feasibility study with an investment recommendation.

• Define project scope, demand case and terminal-development alternatives
• Build integrated demand, capacity, cost, revenue and financing assumptions
• Calculate financial returns, debt metrics and economic-benefit indicators
• Test downside scenarios, sensitivities and risk-mitigation measures
• Prepare concession, procurement and governance recommendations for implementation
• Present investment recommendation, decision conditions and next-step development plan