PLA Videos

Cruise ship, Marco Polo arriving at London International Cruise Terminal, which hosts more than 60 cruise ship calls a year. Marco Polo guided to and from her berth by PLA pilots, with vessel movement overseen from port control. April 2015

The PLA works with environmental charity, Thames21, supporting their volunteer Thames foreshore clear ups. We provide baskets and cages which volunteers fill with litter from the river, later taking them away for appropriate recycling or disposal of the rubbish. We also provide ‘back office’ support, preparing Thames21's accounts, providing advice and support on HR matters.

The 95 miles of tidal Thames is at the heart of life for many millions of people. As we kick off a new project to develop a Vision for the future of the river, we asked a range of people what the river means to them.

A short film about the tidal flow at Tilburyness

Watch the launch of London Titan, the Port of London Authority’s (PLA) new £7 million ship which has been built to keep the Thames clear of obstructions, marked and safe for anyone to use. The is river is one of the busiest in the UK, and welcomes vessels from HMS Illustrious to Thames Clippers, cruise ships to rowing boats. The ship was launched at Manor Marine’s shipyard in Portland, Dorset on 21 February 2015.

New Year’s Eve is the busiest night of the year on the Thames for passenger boats, with many people getting afloat for a great view of the fireworks. The Port of London Authority co-ordinates river operations for the event, with two launches on the river closing it to traffic between Westminster Bridge and Charing Cross Bridge between 2340 on 31 December 2013 until 0020 on 1 January 2014. VTS Officers at our Thames Barrier Navigation Centre oversee the operation – this is their story of the night.

The PLA completed a programme of habitat and other improvements on Oliver’s Ait, an island on the Thames, just downriver of Kew Bridge. A valuable habitat for wildlife including bats and kingfishers, a survey of the site by London Wildlife Trust also found the rare swollen spire and Thames door snails.

The PLA completed a programme of habitat and other improvements on Oliver’s Ait, an island on the Thames, just downriver of Kew Bridge. A valuable habitat for wildlife including bats and kingfishers, a survey of the site by London Wildlife Trust also found the rare swollen spire and Thames door snails.

The PLA has the busiest hydrographic department in the UK. Find out more about the part our hydrography team play on the River Thames.

Richmond Lock and Weir is a half tide weir and lock, owned and operated by the Port of London Authority, the facility is used to maintain the upstream river level at no less than five feet and nine inches below datum line. A lock enables boats to continue travelling up or down river when the weirs are in place.