Modernising Trust Ports 2nd Edition.pdf - SailingNetworks

per annum can be obtained by the ports from Health and Safety Reports or otherrecords.Profitability of Land Holdings (EBITDA/Number of Hectares)Number of hectares relates to the land the port owns and uses, owns and rents toothers, and rents off-site for its own use. This is another indicator of asset utilisation.Channel Depth ManagementChannel depths could be reported alongside strategic justification for planneddredging, deepening and widening activities. In one sense channel depths alone arenot a particularly useful indication but the strategic justification will give a transparentexplanation as to why a particular approach has been taken. Channel depths areeasily available as should be the justification and therefore how well the port isresponding to the market.Berth Utilisation (Time Berth in Use/Time Available)Information on berth utilisation is recorded by ports that manage berths as this is animportant tool in their management. An indicator on berth utilisation would provide ameasurement that could reflect various operational performance issues such asunder-utilisation, capacity issues etc that a port may be experiencing. It would alsoraise further issues in terms of, for example, a port which is not open 24/7, but couldincrease opening times to accommodate capacity requirements rather than invest ina new berth.Wider ImpactGross Value Added/Net Value Added(Gross Value Added = Employee costs + EBITDA/Number of employees)(Net Value Added = Employee Costs + EBITDA – DA)/Number of Employees).GVA and NVA can be used as measures of the value added by a company. In effect,both measures the ‘retained wealth’ created by a company and its employees iewages plus the profit made from undertaking its activities. This is also a proxymeasure of the local economic impact of the port, assuming there is a high level oflocal employment and procurement. NVA subtracts the costs of depreciation andamortisation which takes into account the costs associated with its assets. Thesetwo indicators fit well with the wider stakeholder remit that trust ports have, in thatthey assess the wider impacts of a port’s activity. We accept that that they are alsoquite crude in that they do not take into account some subtleties that affect a port.46