Category: Allgemein

In his previous position as senior advisor at BMT Transport Solutions Roman Poersch played a leading role in the vendor due diligence of the port holding EUROPORTS for the then owner Babcock & Brown Infrastructure.

EUROPORTS Holding Sarl manages a portfolio of European terminal and logistics companies with locations among others in Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Finland, Italy and Spain. Overall the 25 port terminals handle around 46 million tonnes of bulk and general cargo as well as containers.

In the multi-month process Mr. Poersch was responsible for the preparation of economic due diligence (portfolio, service and location assessments, sensitivity and SWOT analysis, turnover and turnover forecasts). In subsequent sales rounds Mr. Poersch supervised the seller in Q & A sessions.

The high-frequency ferry service (“Traffic Machine”) between the ports of Rostock and Gedser connects Germany with Denmark. Since 2011 the terminal facilities of both ports have been rebuilt and finally two new RoPax ferries entered service (2016/17). The doubling of capacity also necessitated the adaptation of the hinterland connections of both ports.

Wilhelm Borchert has contributed significantly to the financing of short sea shipping. In 2010 (TEN-T) and 2014 (CEF-T) Wilhelm Borchert successfully applied for funding from the European Commission totalling EUR 30.8 million for the MoS project. Since then Wilhelm Borchert advises the consortium of Scandlines and the port of Rostock on strategic issues and supports the partners in the project implementation. In addition, Wilhelm Borchert are responsible for the entire reporting system.

Wilhelm Borchert advises the port management Bremenports GmbH & Co. KG as well as the Bremen Senator for Economy, Labour and Ports on questions of strategic financing of port projects. Various projects were supervised, such as the construction of a LNG-powered folding barge, the construction of a heavy goods terminal (OTB) and the renewal of railway infrastructure (including modern control and traffic control technology).

Since the beginning of 2011 grants amounting to almost 8 million Euros – mainly from the European TEN-T / CEF-T programs – have been generated and implemented. In addition, other national and European funding opportunities for current or planned projects are regularly examined. An important aspect of Wilhelm Borchert’s consulting services is the strategic design of a corresponding project.

The ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven are the core ports of the European Transport Network (TEN-T) and thus of outstanding importance for European and German transport. As one of the largest railway harbours in Europe, Bremerhaven holds a lighthouse position. In addition, the city of Bremen has set an early sustainable development strategy for their ports.

Following the 2015 climate agreement in Paris international stakeholders, but especially from the European side, will put greater pressure on the shipping companies to make their contribution to the implementation of the climate goals that have been set. Over the last few years the IMO and the European Commission have adopted a series of regulations aimed at limiting emissions from seagoing vessels and making maritime services more energy-efficient.

Wilhelm Borchert currently supports a consortium of German and Cypriot shipowners in the strategic decision-making and financial implementation of planned energy efficiency measures. In a fleet-overlapping project data on ship-side bunker use and emissions will be collected, analysed and improved with the goal of sustainable energy efficiency enhancement.

Various funding opportunities at national and European level were examined for the customers. Based on our analysis and strategic recommendations an application under the European CEF-T program for 50% funding was designed, prepared and successfully submitted on behalf of the shipping companies.

In April 2017 experts from all over the world came together at “La Suprema” to discuss current topics and trends in ferry shipping at the two-day event. Roman Poersch spoke about developments in the transport industry and their effects on ferry traffic.