FORTH BRIDGE STEVEDORING LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC203435 · ltd · incorporated 2000-01-25
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 26.0y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
£1.71M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 52101
Sector: Transportation & storage
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 52290Other transportation support activities
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 75-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 75). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · oldest 26.0y

65/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 26.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: high (81/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (3 active, 8 linked, 4 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
8 connected companies via shared directors
69
Filing history
83 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,709,159
Cash YoY
+15%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£125k
↑ 15% YoY
Net Worth
£1.7m
↑ 5.5% YoY
Current Assets
£392k
↓ 5.2% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£342k£684k£1.0m£1.4m£1.7mDec 2023Dec 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-12-312023-12-31
Total assets£1.87M£1.75M
Current assets£392.2k£413.5k
Cash£124.8k£108.5k
Debtors£267.4k£305.0k
Net assets£1.71M£1.62M

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
7
filings
  • • 6 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
7
filings
  • • 6 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-02-05
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  2. 2026-02-05
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  3. 2026-02-05
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  4. 2026-02-05
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  5. 2026-02-05
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
  6. 2026-02-04
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  7. 2025-09-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2024-06-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2023-09-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-09-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-09-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-07-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2019-09-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2018-09-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2017-09-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2006-08-14
    ➕
    HUGHES, Gerald John appointed
    secretary
  17. 2005-11-14
    ➖
    COWMAN, Richard Leslie resigned
    secretary
  18. 2005-11-14
    ➖
    COWMAN, Richard Leslie resigned
    director
  19. 2005-10-05
    ➕
    HUGHES, Duncan John appointed
    director
  20. 2001-10-05
    ➖
    WILSON, David Henry resigned
    director
  21. 2001-02-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  22. 2000-07-06
    ➕
    HUGHES, Gerald John appointed
    director
  23. 2000-05-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  24. 2000-01-25
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As FORTH BRIDGE STEVEDORING LIMITED
  25. 2000-01-25
    ➕
    COWMAN, Richard Leslie appointed
    secretary
  26. 2000-01-25
    ➕
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  27. 2000-01-25
    ➖
    TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  28. 2000-01-25
    ➕
    COWMAN, Richard Leslie appointed
    director
  29. 2000-01-25
    ➕
    WILSON, David Henry appointed
    director
  30. 2000-01-25
    ➕
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  31. 2000-01-25
    ➖
    COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

91/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 26 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

96/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 26 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

East Ness Pier Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
East Ness Pier Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
FORTH BRIDGE STEVEDORING LIMITED
This company · SC203435

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
East Ness Pier Ltd
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control24/01/2026
3 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Ware Marine Limitedceased 24/01/2026· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
  • Bass Marine Ltdceased 24/01/2026· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
  • Forth Estuary Engineering (Holdings) Ltdceased 24/01/2026· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
A.& J.NELSON(HAULAGE CONTRACTORS)LIMITED→
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——590050y8784y
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———3621y8364y
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————27y8262y
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———20021y8264y
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——£104.5k—23y8285y
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——£11.2k—22y8267y
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——£42.1k—20y8260y
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————3y——
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2000-01-25
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC52101 — SIC 52101

Registered office

East Ness Pier
Preston Crescent
Inverkeithing
Fife
KY11 1DS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-08
Last: 2026-01-25

Officers (3 active · 5 resigned)

HUGHES, Gerald John→
secretary · appointed 2006-08-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HUGHES, Duncan John→
director · ~45y · appointed 2005-10-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HUGHES, Gerald John→
director · ~75y · appointed 2000-07-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
COWMAN, Richard Leslie→
secretary · appointed 2000-01-25 · resigned 2005-11-14
Resigned
TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2000-01-25 · resigned 2000-01-25
Resigned
COWMAN, Richard Leslie→
director · ~83y · appointed 2000-01-25 · resigned 2005-11-14
Resigned
WILSON, David Henry→
director · ~82y · appointed 2000-01-25 · resigned 2001-10-05
Resigned
COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2000-01-25 · resigned 2000-01-25
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Standard security1 property23/02/2001—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Bond & floating charge1 property09/05/2000—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (83 total)

notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2026-02-05
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-05
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2026-02-05
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-05
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2026-02-05
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-04
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-25