First Corporate Shipping Ltd: FCA regulated?

Introducer appointed representative

This firm can only introduce you to its principal, and cannot give financial advice, recommend products, or arrange deals alone.

Appointed for 14 years
Protected through the principal
No FCA actions
Active company since 1990

Responsible principal firm

Cycle Solutions (Cycle to Work) Limited Reference number: 722968 Authorised View firm →

What does this mean?

An introducer appointed representative can only pass your details to its principal firm. It cannot recommend products, give financial advice, or arrange deals on its own.
First Corporate Shipping Ltd (FRN 574475) introduces customers to Cycle Solutions (Cycle to Work) Limited (FRN 722968). Any regulated advice or arranging is done by the principal, not First Corporate Shipping.
Example: if First Corporate Shipping refers you to a financial adviser, the advice should come from the principal firm, not from First Corporate Shipping itself.
Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

No website on the FCA register
Phone number

0117 982 0000
Address

Level 8, 71 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4AY, United Kingdom

In the full report: 2 background checks

What kind of line 0117 982 0000 is
Who else gives the postcode EC4V 4AY

Other names (2)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

Bristol Port Company Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Elm Tree Park Trading name: A name it trades under now.

FCA permissions and consumer protection

Protection through the principal firm
Protection works through Cycle Solutions (Cycle to Work) Limited, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
Complaints Ombudsman, free
You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company name: FIRST CORPORATE SHIPPING LIMITED
Company number: 02542406 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 24 September 1990 (36 years old)
Registered office: St Andrew's House St Andrew's Road, Avonmouth, Bristol, BS11 9DQ, England
Nature of business: Other service activities not elsewhere classified (SIC 96090)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Ian David Sharper	Director	May 1974	29 Jul 2011	None
David Alfred John Brown Obe	Director	May 1965	4 Aug 2015	9 other companies
Andrew Charles Ord	Director	May 1977	4 Aug 2015	1 other company
Jonathan Charles Mordaunt	Director	Jun 1978	4 Aug 2015	6 other companies
Christopher Charles Tite	Director	Dec 1959	1 Jan 2017	35 other companies
James Richard Ferguson	Director	Jun 1970	1 May 2021	None
Stephen John Birt	Director	Jul 1976	30 Sep 2022	None
Paula Kirsten Bradshaw	Director	Jun 1968	1 Jul 2024	10 other companies
Alexander William Rossant Hay	Director	Feb 1978	27 Sep 2024	8 other companies
Sibusiso Nkululeko Arol Tshabalala (Councillor)	Director	Mar 1984	28 Nov 2025	None
David Charles Ord (Sir)	Director	Jul 1948	Not published	22 other companies
Ian David Sharper	Secretary	Not published	1 Jul 2024	–

Other companies run by these 11 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies: 71
closed down: 28
went insolvent: 1

In the full report: all 71 companies, named

What each company does, and whether it is still trading
Which of these 11 directors sit on each board, and since when
The one that went into liquidation or administration
The 2 on the FCA register
The 13 companies these 11 directors run together
All 37 people who have ever been directors, with their dates

Key dates in its history

First Corporate Shipping’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (5) All events (72)

2016

6 April 2016

David Charles Ord gained 25–50% of the votes
First Corporate Holdings Limited gained 50–75% of the votes
The City Council Of Bristol took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2012

3 February 2012

Became an introducer appointed representative

FCA register

1990

24 September 1990

Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 72 events

All 72 events in its history (5 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 65

Firms connected to First Corporate Shipping

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with First Corporate Shipping. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firms: 2
share a director: 2

In the full report: all 2 connected firms, named

How each is linked: shared directors (2)
Who links each one: the named directors, with dates

Get the full report on First Corporate Shipping

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

71 other companies its directors have run, named
2 background checks on its contact details
All 72 events in its history
2 connected firms, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is First Corporate Shipping Ltd FCA authorised?

First Corporate Shipping Ltd (FRN 574475) is not directly authorised. It is an appointed representative acting under the responsibility of a directly authorised principal firm.

What does introducer appointed representative mean for First Corporate Shipping?

An introducer appointed representative can only pass your details to its principal firm. It cannot recommend products, give financial advice, or arrange deals on its own. First Corporate Shipping Ltd (FRN 574475) introduces customers to Cycle Solutions (Cycle to Work) Limited (FRN 722968). Any regulated advice or arranging is done by the principal, not First Corporate Shipping. Example: if First Corporate Shipping refers you to a financial adviser, the advice should come from the principal firm, not from First Corporate Shipping itself. Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.

What is First Corporate Shipping’s phone number?

The FCA register lists the phone number 0117 982 0000 for First Corporate Shipping. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.

Is First Corporate Shipping a scam or clone?

First Corporate Shipping is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.

Is my money safe with First Corporate Shipping?

Protection works through Cycle Solutions (Cycle to Work) Limited, the principal firm responsible for First Corporate Shipping's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.

Who owns First Corporate Shipping?

First Corporate Shipping is owned by First Corporate Holdings Limited, which holds 50–75% of votes and can appoint and remove the board, since 6 April 2016.

Who runs First Corporate Shipping?

Companies House lists 11 directors of First Corporate Shipping: Ian David Sharper, David Alfred John Brown Obe, Andrew Charles Ord, Jonathan Charles Mordaunt, Christopher Charles Tite, James Richard Ferguson and 5 more.

How long has First Corporate Shipping been in business?

The company was formed on 24 September 1990.

Does First Corporate Shipping use any other names?

It trades as Bristol Port Company and Elm Tree Park.