PS PAGE

The new alternatives presented by the likes of private equity concerns and infrastructure funds are clearly charted and case studies presented. So too is how to tap into the stock market option to obtain funding – this latter route and recent experience with it was detailed expertly by Greg Dobson, assistant director, Infrastructure Advisory, Ernst & Young.

There is also an excellent presentation from DnB NOR Bank ASA on charting the current attitude of what might be termed conventional bankers and the underlying causes of this. It places in a real context what potential lenders can expect from their traditional bankers and, as a corollary to this, what to prepare for even without the major demands of a new project or acquisition on the horizon.

Entwined in bank thinking is a much stronger focus on managing risk and this too is a specific subject area that the conference addressed in depth – looking firstly at key steps to take to reduce risk in conjunction with new or expansion projects and secondly the interesting area of reducing exposure to risk in connection with business partners selected and what can be termed the more human aspects of projects. Together both papers effectively deliver a managing risk guide in the current difficult climate and beyond.

Dan Clague, managing director, Mergers and Acquisitions, Societe Generale Bank (SG Corporate and Investment Banking), provides a comprehensive view of port valuations – the levels they used to be at, the principal deals undertaken, and where valuations are today – as well as a taste of the recent climate for deal activity. Mr Clague underpins his analysis with another view of the current banking climate and what it takes to approach bankers for finance in these challenging times.

The alliance of public and private funding is discussed in a presentation entitled EU co-funding of European maritime infrastructure projects. Presented by Roman Poersch, senior advisor, BMT Transport Solutions, the paper focuses on how public funding of up to 30% is provided in Europe in conjunction with Motorways of the Sea projects and the progress made in this respect to date.

Andrew Penfold, managing director, Ocean Shipping Consultants, tackles the challenging subject of where we are today in market terms from a containerisation point of view and what does the short to medium term future hold? He delivers a comprehensive global and regional volume analysis, examines the impact of the credit crunch and economic downturn as well as attempts to chart the road to recovery. His presentation includes reviews of both the container liner sector and the prospects for the containerport sector.

What does it take to properly prepare a port concession for delivery to potential investors? This is the focus of another major paper, which effectively highlights the dos and don’ts as regards maximising potential investor interest. The message that comes across clearly here is that a/ you have to recognise in the first instance that the concession is being offered at a time when there are not the funds available to meet all investment requirements and b/ that by a series of relatively simple steps that a lot can be done to enhance the attractiveness of an opportunity being offered. These simple steps are spelt out.

The presentations from the two day Private Capital & Ports Conference are available for purchase at cost of GBP195.00 and can be obtained directly by application to Mercator Media at EScott@mercatormedia.com. In total, they cover eight conference sessions and over 15 individual presentations.