A refurbished Port of London Authority (PLA) pier, near the Thames Barrier in south east London, is to be the base for a recently-upgraded, lower-emission vessel, used to keep the river free of debris.

To reduce her emissions of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, Driftwood II, operated by the PLA to remove floating hazards from the tidal river through London, Kent and Essex, has been fitted with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology.

She will be welcomed to Barrier Gardens Pier, Woolwich, on 30 November by PLA staff and others involved in her upgrade, along with the team who have worked to make the pier safer and more environmentally friendly.

Noise levels at the pier have also reduced as a result of the works.

The PLA’s programme to extend the Barrier Gardens Pier, started in 2020, involved the installation of new tanks, enabling the PLA fleet on the river, to refuel with emissions-reducing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

Driftwoods II’s conversion was co-financed by Cross River Partnership (CRP) Clean Air Thames funding, supported by the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund and the City of London Corporation.

Students from University College London (UCL) monitored pollution levels from the vessel pre and post the technology’s installation.

Steven Clapperton, Director of Marine Operations at the PLA, said:

“Teams across the PLA have collaborated with a range of external partners to deliver this pair of projects, which are important steps towards achieving our Thames Vision 2050 goals of making the river environment cleaner and safer for all its users.

“Key to this is meeting our target of halving our carbon emissions by 2025, on our journey to achieving Net Zero by 2040.”

CRP Project Manager, Sefinat Otaru, said:

“Cross River Partnership was delighted to collaborate with the PLA, City of London, and the Greater London Authority on retrofitting Driftwood II.

“We were able to demonstrate that it’s possible to improve air quality along the Thames by retrofitting vessels to reduce noxious emissions.

“We hope the learnings from the project will be useful to other operators looking to make similar changes their vessels.”

Following a competition jointly launched by the Port of London Authority (PLA) and DP World, children from three schools in Essex and Kent enjoyed a river trip to see the latest specially designed litter collector that’s located near London Gateway.

The children (from St Andrews Primary School, Rochester, Northfleet School for Girls and Abbots Hall Primary School) were tasked with designing their own marine litter collectors, with recycled materials.

Each year, the PLA’s network of marine litter collectors stops up to 200 tonnes of waterborne litter floating out to the North Sea, where it would otherwise endanger wildlife. The latest (and largest) litter collector extends the reach of the nine-strong network from Teddington to the coast, along the 95 miles of the tidal Thames that the PLA looks after.

Joining the river trip was the PLA’s Vice Chair, Paula Carter, who said:

“In order to protect our Thames for future generations, design innovation and sustainability must go hand in hand, and working in partnership across the port is crucial.

“I was delighted to see the enthusiasm from the children of all ages in the environment of the river first-hand.”

Resulting from a joint investment between DP World and the PLA, the litter collector in the Thames Estuary has been specially designed for the challenges of its location so it helps tackle marine pollution, whilst withstanding the stronger tides and wave energy.

Emma Cowper, Sustainability Manager at DP World, said:

“DP World was delighted to support the recent river trip and competition alongside the Port of London Authority. We were hugely impressed by the ingenuity and hard work of the school teams. We’re proud to support great community initiatives such as these as part of our commitment to establishing a lasting legacy in the areas at which we operate.”

Judging the entries, Jason Rudd, PLA Marine Engineering Superintendent, who led on the litter collector’s unique design and development, said:

“Clearly a lot of care and consideration had gone into the design entries, and it was encouraging to see so much potential for future marine engineers.”

Thanks to the support of Castle Point Motors, the 90 children and school staff on board the river trip enjoyed free packed lunches, whilst learning some facts about the Thames, the trade and the environment.

The Tidal Thames Water Safety Forum (TTWSF) is a partnership of key stakeholders committed to reducing the number of people who, accidentally or deliberately, drown in the tidal Thames. The four-year progress report highlights the progress that has been made on delivering the Drowning Prevention Strategy which launched in 2019.

Since the launch, the forum’s founding members – Royal National Lifeboat Institution, London Fire Brigade, HM Coastguard, Metropolitan Police Marine Unit, London Ambulance Service and the Port of London Authority (PLA) – have been joined by City of London Corporation, Transport for London and the City of London Police. All partners are committed to playing their part in delivering a safer Thames.

Chair of the TTWSF, PLA employee Jenny Cooper-Low commented,

“This progress report reflects the work of the partners to tackle the complex challenges we face on the Thames. We remain committed to preventing people entering the water, to providing a swift response and rescue, and to working in partnership on planning, campaigns, education, and outreach.

“On behalf of the forum, thank you to the organisations who have adopted our recommendations, and to the Thames Skills Academy and the Ascension Trust, who are helping deliver the drowning prevention strategy.”

The report demonstrates how the partners have come together to deliver on the six key objectives, with the over-arching ambition of making the tidal Thames safer. These include the development and implementation of a programme to reduce the number of river-related suicide and self-harm drownings. As part of this objective, Bridge Watch has been established, which aims to provide a physical presence of teams of trained volunteers, who patrol the bridges of London and engage with anybody that indicates intent to enter the water, or who might not be behaving safely.

Volunteers are urgently needed. To find out more, visit: https://www.ascensiontrust.org.uk/bridge-watch/

Click to read the full report.

Baroness Vere, the UK Maritime Minister, will make the opening keynote address at the British Port Association (BPA) annual conference 2023, hosted by the Port of London Authority (PLA).

Over 400 delegates from across the country will gather by the Thames in the heart of the capital for the three-day event (17-19 October) to discuss the sector’s priorities, including policy, safety, innovation, skills, and the transition to Net Zero.

The conference, themed Navigating the Future, will feature expert speakers and panellists from around the world.

During the opening session, the Minister will highlight ports’ role in not only our economy but the UK as a whole and underline the need for sustainable development. She will also discuss the importance of developing talent and creating a new generation to lead in innovation within our ports.

Richard Ballantyne, BPA Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted to welcome the Minister to give her perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing ports up and down the country.

“Our conference is an important annual coming together of our members to listen and learn from each other and colleagues around the globe, boosting our collective ability to deliver growth and protect the environment.”

Robin Mortimer, PLA Chief Executive, who also chairs Maritime UK, said: “The development of port trade has shaped the modern face of London, making it the ideal location for us to consider how the sector can continue to play a pivotal role in the nation’s prosperity and well-being in coming decades.

"A big part of that will need to be working out together how we can make the vital transition to a Net Zero economy.

“I am looking forward to hearing the minister’s remarks, along with those of all our other distinguished contributors later in the week.”

Four more experienced mariners have joined the Port of London Authority (PLA), to help the growing trade on the river Thames and ensure navigational safety for vessels visiting the UK’s busiest port.

They join a 123-strong team of PLA Marine Pilots, safely guiding ships in and out of the port, around the clock, in all weathers.

On Monday 9 October, the quartet of new appointees embarked on an intensive six-month course:

Haydn Clarke started his career at Trinity House, studying at Fleetwood Nautical College. He worked for Disney Cruise Line before moving to Extreme E as Chief Officer. For a long time, Hadyn has aspired to become a PLA Pilot and is looking forward to working in familiar waters.

Ilyes Dali-Ahmed has a seagoing career that spans over a decade, working his way from Cadet to Safety Officer with Marella. He has voyaged around the world, visiting hundreds of destinations, and is looking forward to starting a new chapter with the PLA.

Sergio Panzini, graduated from Istituto Tecnico Nautico Giovanni Caboto, beginning his career on cargo ships as a Cadet. In 2013, he then moved into the cruise industry before completing a world tour in 2017, working his way up to Chief Officer. Pilotage has been a long-term aspiration of his and is now looking forward to being part of the PLA team.

Valerii Velichaiev started his career as a Deck Cadet on bulk carrier fleet, before graduating from Odessa National Maritime Academy in 2015. He worked his way up to Chief Officer and has gained plenty of seagoing experience around the world. Just before the war broke out in Ukraine, his homeland, Valerii gained his Master Unlimited CoC and now looks to fulfil his dream of becoming a pilot, providing his family with a sense of home and security in England.

The PLA pilotage department, currently providing a service level of 99.5%, has seen an 80% reduction in port wide delays since the turn of the year, with the team set to complete close to 11,000 jobs before November.

So far, over 100 simulator training sessions have taken place this year, which has helped 48 PLA Pilots to increase their authorisation limit.

Dave Newbury, PLA Marine Pilotage Manager said:

“Expanding our pool of available talent means we will be able to maintain a resilient service for our customers and will also help expand the volume of freight delivered to this country by river.

"These four new recruits follow the six PLA trainee pilots already successfully appointed in 2023.”

The world’s first methanol-fuelled container vessel, Laura Maersk, arrived at the UK’s leading port for its maiden call yesterday (27 September), marking an important milestone in the journey towards decarbonisation in the shipping industry.

This 2,100 TEU (twenty-foot-equivalent) feeder vessel, which sails entirely on low emissions fuel, will help Maersk reach its long-term objective of gradually renewing its entire fleet to operate solely on green fuels.

Robin Mortimer, the Port of London Authority (PLA)’s Chief Executive, commented:

“We’re delighted that our port, and pilotage, were chosen for the maiden call of such an innovative, low emissions container vessel, Laura Maersk. Powered by green fuel, she marks an impressive step forward in the transition to Net Zero.”

Gary Jeffreys, Maersk’s Area Managing Director UK & Ireland, said:

“We are very proud to have Laura Maersk in the UK. This innovative vessel is an important proof that the decarbonisation of supply chains is feasible. Laura Maersk is a game changer in a hard to abate industry.

“Combining low emission landside transport solutions with the soon to be delivered larger vessels running on green methanol will allow us to start offering green end to end solutions for our customers. This will be the first of many initiatives to get us to Net Zero.”

One of the Port of London Authority’s pilots, Shaun Stewart, brought the cutting-edge ship, carrying two of Maersk’s eye-catching rainbow containers, safely to London Gateway. Two of Svitzer’s first biofueled tugs, Svitzer Thames and Svitzer Monach, were on hand to support her arrival.

Maersk’s rainbow containers were discharged and delivered to their brand-new, more sustainably built warehouse, moving via rail in partnership with Maritime Transport. The final mile was carried out using an electric HGV - the first of its kind operated in the UK. This represents Maersk’s ambitions to offer “green corridors” to customers in the future, connecting all parts of the supply chain sustainably.

Active Thames, a partnership programme led by the Port of London Authority (PLA), announces community funding for watersports and walking in London, Kent and Essex.

Now in its third year, the Active Thames Fund has already made a significant impact by awarding over £200,000 to organisations such as Blue Therapy Active, Lower Thames Rowing Club and the AHOY centre. Read more about the impact of previous grants here.

Jenny Cooper-Low, PLA Sports Manager, said: “We want the Thames to be accessible, diverse and inclusive – a destination for physical activity. Previous grants are having a fantastic impact, and this year we are particularly keen to see clubs working together to deliver bigger projects in their communities.”

Interested clubs are encouraged to visit the Active Thames website for more information and to submit their applications. Applications for the 2023/2024 Active Thames Fund are now open, with a deadline of 5 November 2023.

Active Thames supports initiatives that aim to enhance access, diversity, and inclusion through targeting under-represented groups. It also creates more opportunities for people to benefit from being active outdoors and has supported over 40 clubs and charities to date. The partnership is comprised of Active Essex, Active Kent & Medway, London Sport, British Canoeing, British Rowing, RYA, Canal & River Trust, Thames Path National Trail and PLA.