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Displaying items by tag: New Div Ports Manager

A major ports group owner and operator in the UK, Associated British Ports (ABP) has appointed a new Divisional Port Manager for ports in south Wales and south-west England.

ABP has welcomed Simon Brown for their Wales & Short Sea Ports (W&SSP) region where the new appointee will have responsibility for port activities across all five of ABP’s ports in South Wales located in Cardiff, Newport, Barry, Port Talbot and Swansea.

In addition the role of the manager includes ABP's south-west England ports of Plymouth and Teignmouth (where offshore cruiseships lay at anchor, see P&O story)

Brown will also be working closely with the W.E. Dowds team in South Wales to grow the role of Newport on the Bristol Channel as the UK’s number one port for finished steel.

Andrew Harston, ABP Wales and Short Sea Ports Director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Simon to our team in the Wales & Short Sea Ports region. He will bring with him decades of experience, which will help deliver an exciting future and drive further growth and economic prosperity in both Wales and the South West of England.

Before joining ABP in November, Brown served as Port Director Mersey for Peel Ports (another UK ports group) where in the Port of Liverpool and prior to that, he had a long career in the shipping industry, working with the Maersk Company between 2006 and 2018. He then joined P&OCL as a graduate and worked in the UK, Kenya, Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA before Maersk acquired P&O Nedlloyd in 2005.

Published in Ports & Shipping

The Half Ton Class was created by the Offshore Racing Council for boats within the racing band not exceeding 22'-0". The ORC decided that the rule should "....permit the development of seaworthy offshore racing yachts...The Council will endeavour to protect the majority of the existing IOR fleet from rapid obsolescence caused by ....developments which produce increased performance without corresponding changes in ratings..."

When first introduced the IOR rule was perfectly adequate for rating boats in existence at that time. However yacht designers naturally examined the rule to seize upon any advantage they could find, the most noticeable of which has been a reduction in displacement and a return to fractional rigs.

After 1993, when the IOR Mk.III rule reached it termination due to lack of people building new boats, the rule was replaced by the CHS (Channel) Handicap system which in turn developed into the IRC system now used.

The IRC handicap system operates by a secret formula which tries to develop boats which are 'Cruising type' of relatively heavy boats with good internal accommodation. It tends to penalise boats with excessive stability or excessive sail area.

Competitions

The most significant events for the Half Ton Class has been the annual Half Ton Cup which was sailed under the IOR rules until 1993. More recently this has been replaced with the Half Ton Classics Cup. The venue of the event moved from continent to continent with over-representation on French or British ports. In later years the event is held biennially. Initially, it was proposed to hold events in Ireland, Britain and France by rotation. However, it was the Belgians who took the ball and ran with it. The Class is now managed from Belgium. 

At A Glance – Half Ton Classics Cup Winners

  • 2017 – Kinsale – Swuzzlebubble – Phil Plumtree – Farr 1977
  • 2016 – Falmouth – Swuzzlebubble – Greg Peck – Farr 1977
  • 2015 – Nieuwport – Checkmate XV – David Cullen – Humphreys 1985
  • 2014 – St Quay Portrieux – Swuzzlebubble – Peter Morton – Farr 1977
  • 2013 – Boulogne – Checkmate XV – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1985
  • 2011 – Cowes – Chimp – Michael Kershaw – Berret 1978
  • 2009 – Nieuwpoort – Général Tapioca – Philippe Pilate – Berret 1978
  • 2007 – Dun Laoghaire – Henri-Lloyd Harmony – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1980~
  • 2005 – Dinard – Gingko – Patrick Lobrichon – Mauric 1968
  • 2003 – Nieuwpoort – Général Tapioca – Philippe Pilate – Berret 1978

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