SECURING the former royal yacht Britannia for Leith has led to ''significantly more interest'' being shown in the Ocean Terminal development, Forth Ports said yesterday.

The group's shares rose 22.5p to 665p on the announcement.

Chairman Bill Thomson told the group's annual meeting that the mooring of Britannia alongside the site would become the focal point of Ocean Terminal and provide an important boost for tourism in Edinburgh. ''We hope to announce the names of the key anchor tenants, and our joint venture partner, within the next six weeks,'' he said.

Thomson said trading in the first quarter was already encouraging.