Foreland Shipping Limited is a company formed for the express purpose of building and owning the Point class sealift ships. The six original ships were for the purpose of providing a transport capability to the British armed forces in times of emergency, but in normal circumstances four vessels were engaged on MoD related activities and two were operated as commercial ships. The crews are part of the naval reserve and are under military discipline when required for service by the UK government.
The company currently has a fleet of four ships, Anvil Point, Hartland Point, Hurst Point, Eddystone. The Beachy Head and Longstone were sold in 2013 as part of MoD reviews and cut backs.
The company was formed by a consortium of Bibby Line, Houlder Hadley, James Fisher plc and Andrew Weir Shipping.