PLA Chart Catalogue

The PLA publishes charts from Teddington to Southend. To order a chart click on the map below (Chart Area pages are Adobe files) until you find the chart area and number you are interested in, then call the Hydrographic Service on 01474 562207 between 10am and 1pm. An individual copy of a chart costs £16.

Charts from Teddington to Woolwich (PLA 301 - 323) are now produced at A2 in colour at a scale specifically for navigation. These are available individually or as part of a folio. For more information on the A2 Colour Charts & Folios please click here.

Charts from Woolwich to Southend (PLA 324 - 387) are produced at A0 in black and white, typically at a scale of 1:2500.

These charts are compiled from the surveys of Rivers and Creeks. As new information is gathered they may be corrected by Chart Correction Advices. These are serially numbered for each Chart and are available to view here.

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) publishes charts of the Thames Estuary and river, they are available from these suppliers.

Types of Survey

A number of different types of hydrographic survey are carried out to support a range of chart products dependant on the requirements of the end user. These include:

Main River Surveys

Main river surveys cover the river from bank to bank and usually cover a stretch of river about 2.5km long. These are carried out, on average, every 8 years. Each survey covers a river reach or part of one. These surveys are used to compile the published charts described above. Click on the image to view an A0 Black & White Published Chart sample PDF (350kb).

Estuary Surveys

These cover the area from Sea Reach 1 Buoy out to the PLA seaward limits and are repeated every 10 years on average. The data is then sent to the Admiralty to be incorporated into the UKHO charts of the Estuary.

Periodic Surveys

Within the River and Estuary, periodic surveys are completed of the shoal areas and channels that frequently change. These are vital to the safe navigation of the Thames and are promulgated primarily to pilots. Chart scales vary depending on the area covered by the survey.

Click on the image to view a Periodic Survey sample PDF (56kb)

Other Types of Surveys and Charts

Surveys are also carried out at the berths along the river to keep agents and pilots aware of the critical depths for berthing a ship. Click on the image to view a sample Berth Chart PDF (53kb)

PLA Miniplots are a series of small scale A4 charts showing the latest significant depths from the larger scale surveys. Miniplots are available online.

Other surveys are done at the request of various parties, both public and private. Examples include pre and post-dredge surveys, engineering surveys and those for river development works. Using the latest multibeam technology the PLA Hydrographic Service conducts high resolution structural surveys on jetties, pipelines and bridge piers for civil engineers. For more detail on the high resolution surveys associated with engineering projects please click here.