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PRESS MAINPAGE
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Britannia is Back
Financial Times - April 18th 2001
It’s more than three years since Labour pushed Britannia, the Queen’s favourite sailing dinghy, into retirement. But with the decommissioned royal yacht imprisoned on an Edinburgh dockside, how jolly that a new Britannia is set to rule the waves. Lacking swanky reception rooms or furniture from the V&A, it certainly won’t be confused with its more illustrious namesake. Launched yesterday at the Sanoyas shipyard in southern Japan, this Britannia is a gigantic dry bulk carrier. The name was snapped up by former London-based metals trader Alan Bekhor, whose agency acts for Britannia’s owner. Last autumn he contacted the Marine Coastguard Agency, keeper of Britain’s shipping register, and was amazed to find it still available. And in a rare thumbs-up for transport supremo John Prescott, Bekhor lauded the recent tax break designed to reverse the decline of the British merchant fleet. Says Bekhor: “The new tonnage tax was a major factor in why it was built.” The Japanese milked yesterday’s launch, laying on a brass band to play “God Save The Queen”. They also belted out a number of Beatles hits, although there won’t be any Day Trippers on this Britannia.
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