The Port of London Authority (PLA) has welcomed its latest intake of trainee pilots to meet growing demand for pilotage services in the UK’s biggest port.

The new recruits join a team of over 100 pilots, providing statutory pilotage to vessels visiting the tidal Thames, day and night.

In 2021, the PLA’s sea pilotage team delivered a 98.8 per cent service record to customers, in their busiest ever year, during which they guided almost 11,000 vessels, along the river and estuary, as trade recovered, following the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The four new trainee pilots have now embarked on a comprehensive training programme, to equip them with the skills and knowledge to tackle the specific challenges of navigating the Thames.

• Niall Egan began his seafaring career as a Trinity House cadet in 2010. After qualifying, he worked with Arklow shipping for a short time, before moving to the cruise industry, sailing worldwide for a decade.
• After starting his career with P&O Ferries in 2007, Tom Markram left the ferry industry to gain more deep-sea experience, joining Seabourn Cruise Lines, sailing worldwide. He then returned to the ferry industry, working his way through the ranks to become staff captain.
• Richard Peake also began his sea-going career joining Trinity House as a cadet. Since qualifying, he has worked on passenger vessels for both Carnival UK and Saga Cruises, progressing to serve as staff captain.
• Starting his career as a cadet at Holland America Line, Chris Seaman qualified in 2012 and continued to sail with them around the world for eight years. He then spent a short time working for Scotline as chief officer, learning lots about cargo handlings and gaining experience of being onboard small coaster vessels.

PLA pilots board vessels in all weathers and at all hours, including container ships, bulk carriers, dredgers and car carriers. The vessels carry everything from food to fuel, gravel for construction to the latest laptops. Guiding them to and from their berths of the river demands a high level of specialised training and safety awareness.

Bob Baker, PLA chief harbour master said: 

“As demand on the river is on the up, and to backfill retiring pilots, increasing our pilotage team is key to delivering a reliable service to customers.”

Grants of up to £5,000 are available from the latest round of the Active Thames fund, a partnership programme led by the Port of London Authority (PLA).

The programme aims to enhance access and improve diversity and inclusion among under-represented groups, such as encouraging activity organisers to provide opportunities for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

Supported by Active Essex, Active Kent and Medway, London Sport, British Canoeing, British Rowing, RYA, Canal & River Trust and Thames Path National Trail, Active Thames promotes the development of watersports on the tidal Thames and inland waterways in London, Kent and Essex.

Now in its second year, the fund made 24 awards in 2021/2022 including; The Bluetits Chill Swimmers (Whitstable), the Royal Dolphins Rowing Club (Newham) and Dittons Paddle Boarding Club (Thames Ditton).

PLA sports manager, Jenny Cooper, said: “Active Thames is a key part of the Thames Vision, as we raise awareness of the benefits of blue space and promote the tidal river as a destination for physical activity.

“There are so many people living close to the Thames and inland waterways that haven’t used the water as an active environment.

This funding aims to change that perception by making watersports more affordable, accessible and inclusive, and bring new audiences to the river.”

The deadline for applications is 27 November 2022.

Apply on the Active Thames website.

Next year’s British Ports Association (BPA) Conference is to be hosted by the Port of London Authority (PLA) in London, home to the UK’s largest port.

The conference will be held next autumn. The annual event attracts up to 300 delegates and provides a forum for debating key sector trends, keeping up with the latest technology developments and networking.

PLA director of corporate affairs, Alistair Gale, launched the London event at the close of the 2022 conference in Aberdeen. He said next year’s London conference would offer: “Opportunity to come together in the city that is home to the UK’s largest port. Opportunity to debate again the new and emerging challenges. Opportunity to explore and enjoy the sights, the sounds, the culture, the diversity of our historic capital city.”

He invited delegates to help shape the agenda for our next conference. Possible topics could include: marine and port safety; transport’s transition to Net Zero, at sea, at the dockside and on into landside infrastructure; Biodiversity Net Gain; and what want shippers want from ports.

BPA chief executive, Richard Ballantyne commented:

“We’ve had a great few days in Aberdeen, with fascinating industry insights and robust debate. Now we want to know what’s on the conference wish list of port and shipping industry delegates interested in joining the 2023 event. What would you like to hear about and who would you like to hear from?”

Alongside the busy conference programme, the PLA/BPA London event is expected to include river trips and a gala dinner. The PLA premiered a short film showcasing London to interested delegate at the conclusion of the Aberdeen event.

“It gives you a flavour of the London we know and love: the city, the river, the people and the energy,” said Alistair Gale.

Register your interest in joining the 2023 event below or at our dedicated website.

To mark the launch of the Port of London Authority’s (PLA) Thames Vision 2050, a poem called ‘This River’ has been created, which celebrates the Thames’ past, present and future.

The poem ‘This River’ was developed during a series of workshops led by poet and founder of The Creative Writing Breakfast Club, Laurie Bolger, and young people, with a range of connections to the River Thames.

Thames Vision 2050 puts an emphasis on establishing the river as an excellent place to work, live, visit, get active as well as be a thriving habitat for nature. By creating the poem, the PLA wanted to bring the Thames Vision alive. The river should be protected for future generations, so it was important to have young people coming together across key areas of the vision, to talk about what the river means to them.

“I held various workshops, writing with participants, and then I took different lines that they wrote, and different ideas, and put them together in a poem... I think it’s come out beautifully.” - Laurie Bolger

Once the poem had been created, the group of young people took part in a recital of ‘This River’, which was filmed on the banks of the Thames.

The participants were; Beauty Marshall from the PLA, Tommy Allison and Rosie Johnson from Port of Tilbury, Storm Smith-Suckoo from Thames Active, Chloe Russell from Thames Estuary Partnership, Annabel Taylor-Munt and Sean Ross from Thames Festival Trust and Tashi Spence from Fulham Reach Boat Club.

Alistair Gale, PLA Director of Corporate Affairs said: “Making the Thames accessible to all is one of our five priorities for action. It’s fantastic to see this demonstrated through the words of the young people who created this poem.”

Beauty Marshall said: “I loved working on the poem, it was nice to hear everyone’s stories as to how they are connected to the river. I really enjoyed writing and getting creative and the final product was so meaningful to everyone involved”.

On behalf of The Board and Staff of the Port of London Authority:

We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen was a friend of, and visitor to the river over her long reign. The Thames, the royal river, hosted numerous events, including the River Pageant in 2012, marking Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.

It was our privilege to maintain the royal barge, the Royal Nore for Her Majesty. The Nore was used during visits to the Thames for official events including: the official opening of the new London Bridge in March 1973; the Thames Barrier, in May 1984; the Millennium Dome in 1999; and the Millennium Footbridge in 2000.

Everyone at Port of London Authority expresses their condolences to the Royal Family at this sad time.

8 September 2022

Consultation with operators: 8 August 2022 – 9 September 2022

The Thames Tideway Tunnel (also known as the ‘super sewer’) is due to be operational in 2025, stemming the overflow of untreated sewage into the river after as little as 2mm of rainfall.

This will deliver the most radical improvement in the tidal Thames’ water quality in generations.

We are supporting this improvement by introducing a General Direction, with effect from 1 July 2024, banning the disposal of black water (i.e. sewage) into the tidal river by commercial vessels.

From 8 August 2022, a month-long consultation with operators will assess how best to implement this change.

It aims to establish the preferred way for alternative disposal options to be provided, where arrangements are not already in place.

We are mindful that to comply, vessel owners and operators, who do not already have provision in place for sewage disposal, will need access to a suitable disposal route.

Our objective is to capture any changes that may have occurred since our last consultation on this issue in 2015 and review progress on compliance made over the last seven years.

We specifically want to establish what additional facilities will be required and how they can best be provided.

The first-ever, high-capacity, electric, shore power station for vessels using the tidal Thames is due to come on stream next year, in a deal engineered by the Port of London Authority (PLA).

A PLA loan will enable Net Zero Marine Services (NZMS) to install the first charging point at West India Pier, with another set to follow in central London.

Over the next six months, NZMS will be working with the UK Power Networks to extend the capital’s electricity supply infrastructure to the river.

Using renewable sources of electricity, the charging points will also be available to power other plant and equipment using the river.

Robin Mortimer, PLA chief executive, said: “Hopefully the first of many, these new charging points are set to be a game changer for the tidal Thames.

“They are another major step forward in our work to decarbonise the river and deliver Net Zero.

“They also have the potential to help give the capital the edge over competitor ports around the world.

“To thrive, the Thames must remain a working river and play its part in protecting the planet, creating a better quality of life for everyone.

“The two must and can go hand in hand.”

NZMS director, Miles Cole, said: “These shore power facilities can significantly reduce diesel consumption by the river’s fleet and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“They are essential for attracting more carbon-neutral, electric and hybrid vessels to the Thames, a fast-emerging market.

“They will play a key role in securing the continued prosperity of the river, benefiting all its users.”

The deal was brokered by the PLA’s head of commercial development, Glenda Frost, and head of legal, Ashleigh Evans.

Glenda Frost said: ”All involved have come to this deal with a flexible, can-do approach.

“It will hopefully be a catalyst for further green investment in the future of the tidal Thames by businesses and users who depend on it for a living.”

For further information, please contact:

PLA: [email protected]
NZMS: [email protected]

Tests have started to assess the effectiveness of equipment installed to cut air pollution emitted from Port of London Authority (PLA) vessel, Driftwood II.

Last month, students from University College London (UCL) visited the PLA’s marine operations hub in Denton, Gravesend, to monitor nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels from the vessel’s exhaust, following the fitting of selective catalytic reduction technology to her two propulsion engines and generator.

The gases collected by mechanical engineering PhD students, Sheng-Wei Wang and Chengfan Tang, will be now analysed in UCL’s laboratory, to measure the concentration of NOx and other air pollutants. The results will be compared with similar undertaken before the refit.

The vessel’s green upgrade has been co-financed by the Cross River Partnership, as part of Clean Air Thames supported by the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund and the City of London Corporation.

Dr Veronica Chan, the air quality lead in the PLA’s environment team, said: “The results of these tests will be an important guide to how our fleet and other vessels can contribute to reducing air pollution all along the tidal Thames.”

Limited space on board Driftwood II required a complete overhaul of the engine room. This included converting an unutilised chemical tank to a fuel tank.

Driftwood II is used to clear river debris and maintain moorings.