The Port of London Authority works to ensure navigational safety along the tidal Thames, sharing its marine, environmental, planning and other expertise to promote use of the river and safeguard its unique marine environment.

The tidal Thames is the UK’s busiest inland waterway. Every year more than eight million passenger trips are taken on the Thames and the Mayor plans to increase this to 12 million by 2020. More than five million tonnes of cargo moved by river too, keeping more than 265,000 lorries of the roads of London and the South East.

The tidal Thames and estuary is an important environment. It is home to more than 100 different species of fish, hundreds of seals, special protection areas and sites of special scientific interest. Over 300,000 over-wintering birds visit the Thames every year. We work to sustain a thriving environment and a thriving port side by side.

The Thames is the UK’s second biggest port. The 70 independent terminals on the river handle more than 40 million tonnes of cargo a year. This trading hub handling food, fuel and manufactured goods is a catalyst for investment, employing 46,000 people and generating over £3 billion of value added a year.