Founded in 1934, the BTA represents the interests of port towage operators from large corporates to smaller privately-owned companies in addition to a number of Port Authorities. BTA members’ tug fleets cover ports handling 90% of Britain’s sea-borne trade including all of the leading ports. The fiftheen members of the BTA operate some 150 tugs in over 30 ports from Plymouth to the Shetland Islands, Felixstowe to Belfast, employing more than one thousand highly-skilled British seafarers. Investment by BTA members over the last ten years has reached a record £120 million, however one of the BTA’s purposes is to ensure that the climate for continued investment is maintained. Core to its activity, however, is to improve safety in the industry by spreading best practice and striving to achieve a sound framework of training and certification.