James Fisher & Sons
James Fisher and Sons plc is a British provider of marine engineering services, listed on the London Stock Exchange. It also remains a major shipowner, based in Barrow-in-Furness since the 1840s.
History
The company was founded by James Fisher in 1847 in Barrow-in-Furness as a ship-owning business transporting haematite from the Cumbrian hills. In 1868 it had 70 ships and by the 1870s it owned the largest coasting fleet in the United Kingdom. It acquired the Furness Shipbuilding Company in 1870 but only went on to build one ship, Ellie Park. During the 1880s it slowly moved from operating sailing ships to operating steamers.It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1952. From the 1960s the company was managed by Directors with no family connection. At that time it established a reputation for moving heavy equipment, including even locomotives, by sea. By 1965 it had built its first ship suitable for transporting irradiated nuclear fuel. In the 1960s the company chartered up to a dozen of its ships to the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company to operate the latter's Preston based container services across the Irish Sea. In 1984 the company acquired short sea and offshore specialists Coe Metcalf Shipping, lifting the fleet to 42 vessels, and in 1996 it acquired P&O Tankships.
The company's division James Fisher Defence formerly operated the submarine rescue service for the Royal Navy, and provided the submersible Scorpio 45 which saved the lives of seven Russian sailors in their submarine in 2005. In 2005 James Fisher acquired Fendercare Marine Solutions Ltd for £12m and in 2007 it acquired Buchan Technical Services for £5m and F T Everard & Sons Ltd, a leading competitor in the UK coastal shipping market, for £35m. In 2013 James Fisher acquired Divex Ltd for an initial consideration of £20m in cash plus a further maximum additional consideration of £13m linked to future profitability targets.
Operations
The company operates from various locations throughout the world, with its corporate headquarters in Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, and provides the following services:- Defence
- Port Agency
- Renewable Energy services
- Marine oil services
- Offshore oil services
- Shipping services
- Specialist technical services
Fleet
The charter tanker fleet is operated by the subsidiary James Fisher Everard.| Ship | Built | DWT | Notes |
| Cumbrian Fisher | 2004 | 12,921 | |
| Clyde Fisher | 2005 | 12,984 | |
| Raleigh Fisher | 2005 | 35,192 | Ex Maersk Raleigh |
| Shannon Fisher | 2005 | 5,420 | |
| Dee Fisher | 2006 | 4,653 | |
| Solway Fisher | 2006 | 5,421 | |
| Speciality | 2006 | 4,426 | Also handles petro-chemical cargoes |
| Seniority | 2007 | 4,430 | Also handles petro-chemical cargoes |
| Superiority | 2007 | 4,415 | Also handles petro-chemical cargoes |
| Sarnia Cherie | 2007 | 3,515 | Ex Vedrey Tora. Involved in supplying the Channel Isles |
| Corrib Fisher | 2008 | 6,090 | Ex Bomar Pluto |
| Sarnia Liberty | 2008 | 3,532 | Ex Vedrey Thor. Involved in supplying the Scottish Highlands and Islands |
| Pelican Fisher | 2008 | 9,596 | |
| Kestrel Fisher | 2013 | 7,062 | Ex Damen Bergum 9394. |
| King Fisher | 2013 | 7,067 | Ex Ouse. |
| Sir John Fisher | 2022 | 6,106 | |
| Lady Maria Fisher | 2023 | 6,106 |