Foresight Group celebrated its 26th winter barbecue on Friday last week after what chief operating officer John Wishart described as a “really outstanding and amazing year”.
The annual event in south-west London is as popular as ever. Among the 450 guests were UK maritime minister Nusrat Ghani and Alok Sharma, secretary of state for international development, India’s high commissioner to the UK Ruchi Ghanashyam and IMO secretary general Kitack Lim.
But much of the evening revolved around Foresight’s founder and executive chairman, Ravi Mehrotra who, despite being in his 70s, indicated that he has no intention of slowing down.
In fact, Wishart blamed his boss for “driving most of the pace” during the past year, which has seen the diversified group achieve numerous milestones.
Among them was the disposal of the 306,000-dwt VLCC Agra (built 1999), securing the group’s first onland drilling contract with Oil India, signing contracts for jack-up rigs Vivekanand 1 and Vivekanand 2, and refurbishing a hurricane-damaged rig.
Wishart also highlighted Foresight’s creation of a port and gas infrastructure unit, as well as talks to develop Bhavnagar Port in Gujarat, and Port Blair in South Andaman, Bay of Bengal.
Mehrotra responded that the group’s 1,200-plus staff probably thought it was time he retired but “they don’t know me".
He introduced his nephew, Sharma, a member of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet.
Respect
Sharma said the fact that so many people attended the event was a “testament to the respect that people hold for the Mehrotra family and the Foresight Group”.
Maritime minister Ghani spoke about the success of London International Shipping Week, and the extensive work being done to ensure the UK continues to be the leading force in maritime ports and technology.
Ghanashyam said Foresight was one of the leading maritime investors in the UK. A commissioned study showed last year that inward investment to the UK by Indian companies had created 105,000 jobs.
“That is really the strength of India-UK relations, the living bridge that joins our two countries into such a dynamic, vibrant, close relationship that we can all be so proud of,” she said.
