Home > About Us
In 1914, when the Panama Canal first opened, a New Zealander by the name of Charles
Butler Fenton arrived in Panama on behalf of the New Zealand Navy in order to take
care of their navy vessels going to and from Europe. Upon discharge from the military
he decided to open a commercial shipping agency in his name at the Canal in
1916, in order to take care of merchant ships passing through the new waterway.
In those
days, Captain Fenton placed advertisement in English and Scandinavian newspapers
to attract those interested to come out and work for two year periods. One
of those was Mr Gilbert Morland whom at the time was with the White Star Line in
Liverpool, and came to work for Captain Fenton in 1929. Six months after returning
to England in 1931, Mr Morland was asked to return to work on a permanent basis.
Captain
Fenton eventually sold the company to Gil Morland in 1958, and passed away four
years later at the age of 100. When Morland himself passed away in 1971, sons
Robin and Peter took over the operation with very able assistance from the staff.
Mr Robin Morland continues as President today, whilst Mr Peter Morland recently
retired in Panama.
Over the
many years, CB Fenton has been fortunate to handle many quality clients, amongst
them Maersk, Wilh. Wilhelmsen and CSAV, to name just a few, and all of whom now
have their own affiliates or offices located in Panama.
Current
Vice President and Operations Manager Adrian Holmes joined the Company in 1967 after
some years as an apprentice and clerk in a major London Agency and later in a shipowners
office in the UK, also for a two year contract. He rejoined on a permanent basis
in 1969. With the recent employment of some young, energetic and very qualified
personnel within the Company, Mr Holmes has shown great confidence in the Company’s
future by recently taking a major stake in ownership.
The vision
for our customers is to simply ensure that they receive the very best service possible
and at the most economical pricing available to them.