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Environment

We are one of the UK ports industry leaders in environmental best practice and one of the few Ports in the UK/Europe to have an Environmental Management System certified by Lloyds Register to ISO 14001.

In managing the river environment of the Thames we are responsible, between Gravesend and the sea alone, for some eleven Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI's), three of which are also European Marine Sites.

To make sure that we preserve the valuable environment on the Tidal Thames all new developments on or in the River have to be licensed by the PLA. We assess licence applications carefully to ensure that any potential impacts are identified and that the licence sets out the steps that have to be taken to eliminate or minimise the impacts.

Our environmental work also includes operating the round-the-clock oil spill response service TOSCA  (Thames Oil Spill Clearance Association) on behalf of oil companies operating on the River. The work of our Marine Services team also contributes to the overall environmental effort.

We are also actively working to ensure our riverside communities enjoy a cleaner Thames, working with the charity Thames 21 on their clean-up campaigns. In fact, our "driftwood" collection operation plays a key role in taking the rubbish collected by volunteers away for segregation and, where appropriate, recycling.

Our river works licensing team play an important role in protecting the environment, assessing any proposed developments for their potential effect on the river environment.