In the May issue of Ships Monthly we featured Finan Liddle, and asked the question, was he the magazine’s youngest reader? Finan is an extremely enthusiastic reader of the magazine and, according to his mother, is mad about ships. I was not the only one to be delighted that someone so young takes such an interest in ships, as the letter caught the eye of Peter Millatt, Director of Scotline, which operates a small fleet of cargo vessels out of Rochester.
Peter wrote to me: ‘As ship owners and terminal operators, we are very concerned about the lack of interest in shipping as a career by young people and want to promote the industry. So it was very pleasing to see someone who is interested in shipping. I would like to extend an invitation to Finan and his parents to come and visit the Scotline vessels.’
So on 25 April Finan went to Rochester and was shown round the dock and the ships in port. His father later wrote to Peter: ‘Thank you for your time and the courteous staff who stopped and chatted to us too. Finan was really inspired, and I am sure it will be a memory he will not forget. Please send a special thanks to Sam, who spent a lot of time with Finan on the second ship. We all enjoyed it immensely.’
Great credit and many thanks to Scotline and their director Peter Millatt for providing a young reader with an unforgettable day. And I hope we can include similar stores again.
