A NEW man is at the helm of Ferguson Marine after the sudden sacking of chief executive David Tydeman.

Experienced shipbuilder and non-executive director John Petticrew has replaced the outgoing boss as the Port yard’s interim CEO.

Mr Petticrew, a fourth generation shipbuilder, started his career in shipbuilding at Scotts' Cartsburn Yard in Greenock.

He has over 40 years of experience in shipbuilding and infrastructure construction in a career that has spanned three different continents.

The new chief has held various senior management positions and was responsible for construction of a $1 billion fleet of highly sophisticated vessels for an oil and gas major in the Middle East.

He has also been involved in varied vessel designs from simple pilot ships to complex military vessels and oil and gas platforms.

Mr Petticrew was instrumental in the start-up of a major shipyard in the UK and the setup of three brownfield shipyards in his career.

He has most recently been acting as a senior consultant assisting various clients with all aspects of shipyard management, bidding and construction.

The new boss is a familiar face to the yard’s workforce, having visited the yard on a number of occasions in his capacity as a board member.

The Telegraph understands that Mr Petticrew also stepped up at the beginning of the year and oversaw the yard on behalf of the board while Mr Tydeman was on annual leave.