Thames training exercise (Friday, 17 September 2021)

The Port of London Authority (PLA) will be conducting a training exercise on the Thames in London on the morning of 17 September, testing how it would respond to an oil spill in the river.

The exercise will be conducted around Millwall Slipway and Limehouse Reach, off Westferry Road, Isle of Dogs (close to the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre).

“We are running this live exercise to test all aspects of our response to an oil spill on the Thames,” explained chief harbour master, Bob Baker.

“This includes the rapid deployment of the oil spill containment equipment we operate through the Thames Oil Spill Clearance Association and operational coordination through our harbour masters team and port control centres.

“It is likely that local residents will see a number of unusual vessels arriving in the area through the morning. Please don’t be alarmed by this.

“The exercise will allow us to test the equipment and systems, identifying how to improve them so that, should we need them in future, we’ll be well placed to respond.”