The following article appeared in Lloyd’s List on Tuesday 6th February 2007 Noble calling for Knight who feels pull of history The grand setting of its offices may have unwittingly inspired tug operator JP Knight to apply an old-fashioned duty to its modern business practice, writes Ken Norman - Tuesday 6 February 2007 The office was like something from an old Hollywood film set. The address was no less impressive. And the 115-year-old company that resided there had already booked its place in our island’s maritime history. Tug and barge operator JP Knight of The Admiral’s Offices, Chatham Historic Dockyard has managed to achieve what is seen by some as the impossible in today’s commercial climate; maintaining a sense of history and still managing to stay in business. It suddenly struck me that during my 50 years in shipping it had taken me this long to visit Chatham Historic Dockyard, which is a mere 90 minutes drive from my home. It is an Aladdin’s cave for maritime enthusiasts being littered with maritime artefacts, each one with its own story of past endeavours and glories and its own contribution to Great Britain’s rich maritime heritage. Reeling from such sights as the Second World War frigate Cavalier and the sailing ship Gannet while revelling in the fact that it was here that Nelson’s Victory was built, I was greeted by Richard Knight, the managing director of the company and the great-great nephew of founder James Percy Knight. The spacious room into which I was directed reeked of history, helped by the commanding view of the dockyard through its huge Georgian Bay window. But this is not a museum since from here the JP Knight Empire of tugs and barges employing 250 people is controlled. Although the business was founded at Blackwall Pier London in 1892 as The Kaiser Steam Tug Company, old hands in shipping will associate JP Knight with tugs on the River Medway, which was the case until 1991 when, faced with the spectre of large-scale competition, Richard Knight realised that the company did not have the resources to survive a rate war and the tugs were sold. Unlike many shipowners, however, this was not the end of the line for Knights but the beginning of a thriving niche business operating in some of the most inhospitable business environments in the world. The company has operational bases in Paranam (Surinam) and New Amsterdam (Guyana) with agencies in Rotterdam, Ostend and Buenos Aires. Nearer home JP Knight has tugs stationed on the Cromarty Firth serving the Invergordon Port Authority, Nigg Oil terminal and the offshore industry. Although JP Knight still has a connection with its roots in providing traditional tug services, a large proportion of the company’s business is in the transportation of bulk materials on inland waterways, often with exceptionally shallow draughts using push tugs and flat-deck pontoons. This kind of operation requires a very high degree of skill on the part of the tug crews and Mr Knight believes that it is in the selection and training of the personnel that lies at the heart of the company’s success in this specialised field. He goes further by reiterating, with considerable emphasis, a quote from the company brochure: “I believe our crew members are the business”. The appreciation of the company staff was a recurring theme during our meeting, as is the emphasis of team work and co-operation with those on the ground. For example, the decision to seek ISM accreditation was introduced to the crews “as the spirit of improvement of service to the clients” rather than a necessary box ticking operation. In conversation with Mr Knight it became clear that the company would not have achieved the degree of success it has if it were not for his unique low-key style of management and grasp of the business — a quality obviously recognised by the industry since he is a member of the executive committees of both the British Tugowners Association and the European Tugowners Association. The secret of any company’s success is a mixture of factors among which it could be argued might feature tight financial control, prudent investment, market awareness and good labour relations. While JP Knight’s record suggests that they have all of these attributes and more, one gets the feeling that there is an element to the company’s success which cannot be listed in any business manual or found in the auditor’s report. Clearly, Mr Knight’s management expertise and sure touch, together with the backing of a loyal team, are key factors in the company’s success. Yet I gained the strong impression that the X-factor was something which has been hard to find in recent years, not just in business, but in life generally; that is, an old-fashioned sense of duty. This article is copyright Informa and is reproduced with permission. Reproduction, retrieval, copying or transmission of this article is not permitted without the publisher's prior consent. Informa does not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this article nor does it accept responsibility for errors or omissions or their consequences.