Forth Ports hoping for better half

Forth Ports, Britains third-largest ports operator hopes to make progress in 2004, despite lower first-half operating profit. Forth operates eight ports, including Dundee and Tilbury, with six ports on the Forth estuary. The company said it expected first-half earnings for its ports business to fall short of the £ 16.7m operating profit delivered in the first-half of 2003.