Consultancy

For the decisions that cannot afford to be wrong

Structure. Judgment. Outcome

Every engagement is shaped by the belief that competence, rigorously developed, is the most durable competitive advantage in this industrys

The decisions that define a business, entering a new market, building a terminal, acquiring a vessel, committing capital to infrastructure rarely come with clean information or obvious answers.

Riverlake Consultancy exists for those moments. We provide the analysis, market access, and structured thinking required to act with confidence on complex commercial questions, from initial framing through to execution.

Advisory that begins where certainty ends

What we do

Riverlake Consultancy advises on four areas. S&P advisory, chartering strategy, market entry, and infrastructure development.

Each mandate is defined by the decision behind it rather than by the category it falls into. An owner weighing an acquisition against where the cycle sits. A charterer structuring cover that has to hold for several years. A trading house assessing whether a new geography can be entered profitably. A developer testing whether a terminal project stands up commercially before capital is committed.

Engagements are scoped to match. Some are completed within a few weeks, others run across several months and several jurisdictions. What remains constant is that the analysis is built for one client and one question.

How we work

Every study begins with establishing what the decision actually requires, which is not always identical to the brief as it arrives. From there, the approach is built around the client, the mandate and the constraints under which they are working, since no two engagements call for the same treatment.

The work combines market research, primary sources and direct engagement with relevant industry participants, complemented where necessary by site visits or direct assessment of assets and operations. Assumptions are tested against market conditions and relevant scenarios, with the analysis refined as the work progresses.

The final report sets out the evidence, assumptions and conclusions clearly, allowing the client to assess the decision on its substance.

Rigor and discretion in every mandate

S&P Advisory

Vessel valuation, acquisition due diligence, and sale structuring for owners and investors navigating complex or time-sensitive transactions.

Strategy

Fleet deployment analysis, contract structuring, and rate strategy for owners and operators seeking to optimise commercial positioning across market cycles.

Market entry

Structured market intelligence and counterparty mapping for clients entering new geographies, commodities, or vessel segments for the first time.

Infrastructure development

Feasibility analysis, market sizing, and commercial structuring for terminal and storage projects — from early-stage concept through to investment decision, construction and commissioning.

Selected Mandates

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Import terminal and inland distribution

Region: Europe

Assessment of the logistics required to import, export and distribute refined products inland, beginning with a review of the infrastructure already in place and the constraints it imposes. Throughput requirements were modelled in detail and translated into the capacity the system would need: tankage, pipeline dimensions and the marine infrastructure to support them. The work was delivered as a structured assessment establishing what the terminal would have to accommodate and on what basis.

MARKET ENTRY

Harbour and offshore towage

Region: Africa

Analysis of a harbour and offshore towage business, framed by the country's political and monetary environment and a detailed review of its ports and the regulators governing them. The offshore oil and gas sector was modelled against post-pandemic energy scenarios, then narrowed to towage itself: vessel types, requirements at each port and offshore installation, and real operating costs. The outcome was a strategy for entering the towage and cabotage market, grounded in local regulatory conditions.

S&P ADVISORY

Feeder service

Region: Africa

Feasibility assessment of a domestic feeder service on a route with no local operator, beginning with the distinction between cabotage and feedering and the regulatory consequences that follow from it. Port infrastructure, governing institutions and existing traffic volumes were reviewed alongside the global feeder market, its consolidation and its orderbook. Vessel acquisition was weighed against time charter, with sizing and configuration derived from the route itself, and the case was modelled through operating costs, daily earnings, cash flow, net present value and internal rate of return.

STRATEGY

Tanker fleet renewal

Region: Asia

Assessment of the options open to an operator whose chartered coastal tanker was approaching the end of both its charter and its viable service life. Charter renewal, spot employment, second-hand acquisition and newbuilding were each examined against the requirements of the trade, with propulsion weighed against locally available bunkers and the trajectory of emissions regulation. Commercial structures, registry and depreciation were modelled into a full return-on-investment case, producing a breakeven day rate against which each option could be judged and a specific acquisition recommendation.

We work with a select number of clients on complex, high-stakes projects.

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News and Insights

17.08.2026 | INSIGHT