Foreland Shipping appoints new managing director

On the retirement of Max Gladwyn, managing director of Foreland Shipping Ltd, the company's shareholders have appointed Peter Morton as his successor. Mr Morton will take up his new duties with effect from 1 June 2008.

Mr Morton has had a long career in shipping, much of it in the ro-ro sector and is at present a director of Charente Ltd. Mr Gladwyn intends to maintain his strong links with the UK shipping industry, notably as a non-executive director of Trinity House and as a vice chairman of The Marine Society and Sea Cadets.

Foreland was set up to run a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Under the terms of the contract, six roll-on/roll-off vessels were built in UK and German yards.

Mr Gladwyn has been managing director of the company through the negotiation and construction phase of the contract and for its operational phase since the ships started coming into service in 2002

Note to editors:

Foreland Shipping Limited was formed by the leading British shipping companies Bibby Line, Hadley Shipping, James Fisher Plc and Andrew Weir Shipping. The company was established with the express purpose of bidding for the £950 million contract to construct and own six 20,000-tonne ro-ro vessels for service with the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD). Foreland Shipping was subsequently awarded the contract and built six ro-ros at German and British shipyards.

Currently, four of the six ships are employed full time with the MoD, operating worldwide. While the current main focus is on transporting equipment to and from the Middle East Gulf in support of military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, the vessels also make regular voyages to the Falkland Islands and to Canada and Norway in support of training exercises.

All of the ships are registered in the UK and manned by British crew who are members of the Sponsored Reserves.

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