Well planned developments function seamlessly, efficiently and include flexibility in their design to allow for unconstrained future expansions. PRDW considers good planning and related decision making as a critical component of success throughout the project life-cycle process.

By its nature port planning requires collation of multi-disciplinary inputs combined with experience, knowledge and innovation. PRDW’s planners draw from the group’s extensive knowledge on:

• Navigation
  
• Logistics
  
• Economics
  
• Terminal simulation
  
• Coastal processes
  
• Coastal structure design

Most frequently, port planning tasks are associated with the initial project stages including concept studies, prefeasibility studies and investigation of alternative solutions. Typically the basic approach may be defined as follows:

• Define the project objectives
  
• Define the related functional requirements
  
• Identification of opportunities and constraints
  
• Conceptual design of alternatives
  
• Alternative selection and decision making

Port planning continues into more detailed engineering stages focussing on layout refinement based on engineering task outcomes. A complementary skill at this stage is the ability to simulate the port and terminal operations. PRDW uses ARENA to collate site conditions, vessel motions, land and seaside logistics in real-time. The simulations may be used to optimise breakwater requirements based on downtime and achievable throughput, estimate shipping costs such as demurrage and appropriately size port infrastructure.

PRDW has provided port planning input to numerous greenfield and brownfield projects acting in both an advisory and engineering capacity. Some examples of the associated tasks include:

• Demand forecasts
  
• Capacity estimates and modelling
  
• Master plan development
  
• Development of port development framework plans
  
• Definition of capital investment plans
  
• Associated financial modelling
  
• Planning and siting all port types