James Fisher and Sons plc (lse: FSJ) 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.[2] In 1868 it had 70 ships[3] and by the 1870s it owned the largest coasting fleet in the United Kingdom.[2] It acquired the Furness Shipbuilding Company in 1870 but only went on to build one ship, Ellie Park.[3] During the 1880s it slowly moved from operating sailing ships to operating steamers.[4]