Annual Review 2005/06 - Community & Leisure

Stakeholders' Interests

As a Trust Port, the PLA has a responsibility to consider and uphold the balance of interests between all stakeholders, whether they are commercial or leisure users of the Port and River or local communities.

Throughout 2005 the PLA continued to provide support and assistance to community groups, leisure activities and events on and around the tidal Thames. For example, PLA vessels including patrol launches, driftwood craft, pontoons, dories, stake boats and a rigid inflatable boat helped provide assistance and safety cover for key events including the University Boat Race, TOW barge race and Great River Race.

In an entirely new initiative, a series of public meetings was held, providing a further line of communication between ourselves and the varied stakeholder interests, giving Chief Executive Richard Everitt and the senior management team the opportunity to hear directly the views of those who use and live on the River.

The first meetings were held in the Corinthian Sailing Club in Hammersmith and at the Museum in Docklands. Each was well attended and a wide range of key issues were raised including our pricing policy and our powers.

London Bombings

The River Thames played a vital role in the transport of passengers following the tragic events as a result of the underground and bus bombings on July 7. With rail and road transport brought to a standstill following the four explosions, the River was used by thousands to make their way home.

London River Services, the water transport arm of Transport for London, acting together with the commuter and tourist boat operators, responded by arranging additional vessels and extra services, allowing people to travel free of charge in order to get home.

The biggest number of people were moved out of the Canary Wharf business district, with some 20,000 evacuated by the River during the course of that Thursday. As one example, Thames Clippers extended its services until midnight by operating an additional 73 services.

With many underground lines and bus routes closed, the River provided a realistic alternative for thousands of people.

Olympics 2012

We greatly welcomed the International Olympic Committee’s decision to choose London to host the 2012 Games, which not only will be good for London but also for the River.

The Thames will have a vital role to play in the success of the Games – in the run-up, with the transport of groundwork and demolition waste, aggregates, project loads and construction materials in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way, and during the event itself, carrying spectators, officials and athletes to and from the various Olympic sites.

The contribution the River could make to support the continuing development of the main Olympics site after the games has also been recognised.

To date, eight cruise ships have made provisional bookings for the Olympics 2012 – the first booking being received the day after the announcement - and the PLA is in the process of identifying additional moorings in central London to complement those already available.

Website

To comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), work began on making “reasonable adjustments” to the Port of London website, so that those with impaired vision are able to make use of the service provided.

Working with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, we have initiated work on a new design for the website which will progressively improve the accessibility of the site to all users.

Improvements in the way the website is coded led to more effective access by search engines, especially Google, which in turn improved the number of visitors to the site with an average of 835 visitors a day across the year.

In recognition of the benefits of the Internet and the use of electronic communications, a new on-line commercial e-newsletter, ‘Portline’, was officially launched at the start of 2005. Located within the commercial section on the Port of London website, this monthly newsletter is automatically e-mailed to all commercial port users, complementing the broader based distribution of the printed Port of London newspaper.

A new environmental website section was added and continues to be developed, addressing a wide range of environmental issues relating to the Port and the River.

Initially dealing with UK and European legislation connected with the operations of a port, the topic range has been progressively widened to include the process of consultation, conservation and dredging of the River, including requirements relating to archaeology,and the monitoring of marine mammals.

Preliminary work started on developing an online interactive handbook, which will complement the annually published Port Handbook. To be launched during 2006, the on-line version will enable current users and potential customers of the Port to obtain details of the services and facilities provided by all the independent terminals via the Internet.

PLA Archive

Following the retirement of Bob Aspinall (former PLA Librarian), who for the past 20 years had looked after the PLA archives housed at the Museum in Docklands, West India Quay, the archives reopened to the public in October 2005 as part of the Sainsbury Study Centre at the museum, under the stewardship of Claire Frankland, archivist of the PLA collection.

The Sainsbury Study Centre is the result of a joint partnership between the Museum of London, the Museum in Docklands and the
Sainsbury Archive Trust to open up access to the PLA, Museum in Docklands and the Sainsbury archives.

This collaboration has delivered a public Information Zone where museum visitors can browse both on-line and paper-based
resources related to the collections. In addition the fully equipped Search Room enables researchers to use original archive material.

The archive comprises the comprehensive records and library of the PLA’s administration of the Port and River from 1909 including the minute books of the 19th century private dock companies, prints & paintings, engineering plans and drawings, photographs, maps and charts.

Since opening, the Search Room has been fully booked and the archivist has received over 170 port-related enquiries. Projects for the future include a 2009 PLA Centenary publication and the development of a searchable electronic catalogue for the collection.

Filming

The memorable James Bond ‘river chase’ at the start of the movie ‘The World is Not Enough’ reaffirmed the Thames as an ideal location for film makers. That interest in the River by film makers and producers of TV programmes continues. During 2005, the PLA gave permission for over 100 filming activities on the River, ranging from UK television dramas and documentaries to major British and international feature films. The PLA also continues to work closely with Film London to promote the Thames as a good location for film makers. The River was also used as a backdrop for product launches by several companies.

Recreational Craft Booklet

Conscious of the need to provide as much information as possible for leisure users of the tidal Thames as well as those operating commercial craft, the PLA produced a booklet entitled ‘The Tidal Thames – a Guide for Users of Recreational Craft’. Combining and updating information contained in two earlier publications, the new booklet provides a concise guide to navigational regulations, the needs of other users in the River and general information to help all leisure users gain maximum enjoyment of the Thames in safety.

Passenger Boat Development

Many of the passenger boat operating companies made investments in new vessels or have laid plans for such investment in the near future. Such developments include two new high speed ferries, Sun Clipper and Moon Clipper, operated by Thames Clippers.

Visitors

HM Government

The Prime Minister Tony Blair, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and other Government Ministers travelled from central London to Royal Terrace Pier at Gravesend in the fast passenger vessel ‘Hurricane Clipper’. They were accompanied by PLA Secretary David Cartlidge and were met at the pier by Chief Harbourmaster Bruce Richardson. The trip gave them the opportunity to see a number of London’s regeneration sites and commercial wharves from the water. Using the pier as a venue, they launched their policy document “Creating Sustainable Communities – Delivering the Thames Gateway” at a short
conference attended by local councillors, MPs,community groups and the media.

Shipping Minister

The UK Shipping and Ports Minister, Dr Stephen Ladyman, visited London River House at Gravesend in late January 2006. He was
given a demonstration of the latest prototype of ‘Thames AIS’, a transponder technology project developed by the PLA, for vessels on the tidal Thames.

As well as a full briefing onshore, he toured the Port Control Centre and had a “hands-on” demonstration of our ship’s bridge simulator before taking a short trip on a Harbour Service patrol launch in the Gravesend and Tilbury area.

Dame Ellen

Dame Ellen MacArthur followed up her recordbreaking round-the-world voyage with a trip up the Thames and into the Pool of London in her yacht ‘B&Q’. The trip was organised to thank the people of London for their support and to raise awareness of the Ellen MacArthur Trust, a charity set up to give young cancer sufferers the opportunity to get out on the water and sail with Dame Ellen.

‘Norwegian Royal Visit’

In October, the King and Queen of Norway embarked in their Royal Yacht NORGE, paid a formal visit to London hosted by Her Majesty the Queen. The NORGE was moored in the upper pool and PLA launch Royal Nore was used to transfer members of both Royal Households from the ship to the new pier by Tate Britain at Milbank.

‘Resolution’

February 2005 saw the visit of a revolutionary vessel specially designed to install wind turbines at sea. Intended for use in challenging marine environments, the ‘Resolution’ was in 0London to demonstrate its high-performance lifting capabilities to MPs and those in the wind energy sector. The ship is capable of carrying up to ten wind turbines.

Once manoeuvred and ‘positively’ positioned over the installation site by use of satellite guidance dynamic positioning systems, the six legs are lowered to the sea bed and the entire 130 metre x 38 metre vessel, weighing 12,500 tons, is then “jacked up” clear of the water at a rate of 1 metre per minute to provide a safe and stable working platform.

‘Illustrious’

HMS ‘Illustrious’, one of the most powerful warships in the UK’s Royal Navy fleet, visited the Thames in May, passing through the Thames Barrier before berthing at Greenwich where the incoming Secretary of State for Defence, Dr John Reid, made his first official visit to a naval ship in his new post. Marking the new affiliation between the 22,000 ton warship and the City of London, the visit came as the UK capital city commemorated the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day). HMS ‘Illustrious’ marked the occasion with her sailors marching into position on the flight deck to form a huge “60” as the ship
passed through the Thames Barrier. London schoolchildren were later invited onboard for tours of the ship and to compete in sports events on the flight deck.

Viking incursion

A full-size replica of the famous Viking ship found in Gokstad in Norway sailed into Woolwich in August. The ‘Gaia’ also sailed upriver as far as Tower Bridge, being joined on her journey up the Thames by a 21-foot replica, ‘Lille Draken’. Complete with Viking shields and a striking dragon figurehead, the smaller craft was built in the garden shed of David Jones, an Isleworth resident.

Nelson Flotilla

Our Harbour Service had its busiest weekend of the year when the Thames hosted celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. The re-enactment of the Nelson Flotilla, which delivered a copy of the dispatches announcing Nelson’s victory and his death 200 years before, was one of the most spectacular events seen on the River for many years. It was made up of 40 vessels, powered by nearly 500 oarsmen, which were marshalled under the watchful eyes of the PLA Harbour Master before the flotilla made its way up the Thames from Greenwich to Westminster. Less than 24 hours later, the Trafalgar Great River Race from Putney to Greenwich took place, with an assortment of more than 300 craft participating from all over the UK and some from overseas.

Education

As part of its developing outreach project to connect with those using the River, PLA staff played a key role in a science workshop organised by the Thames Estuary Partnership. Held at the Tate Modern, the workshop’s aim was to encourage young people to enjoy science and to consider science-based careers. Young people learned about the role of a modern port and pilotage authority in navigating ships in and out of port, creating their own pilotage plan.

Riverside Trailer

Our “Riverside Code” Trailer was a finalist in 2005’s London Business Awards organised by the London Chamber of Commerce
and Industry. The trailer, which is designed to educate children about the potential hazards of the River, was entered into the Commitment to the Community category of the awards. The LCCI described it as a “unique and powerful safety education resource … which is provided free of charge to educate and save lives”.

Since its introduction in 1999, the trailer has been used to support the Junior Citizen scheme at schools throughout London – taking the riverside safety message to around 14,000 children every year, as well as visiting various weekend public events.

Rowing Risk Assessment

There has been a major and very welcome increase in recreational use of the tidal Thames in recent years. However, the dramatic increase in leisure use of the upper reaches by small craft requires continued work to ensure good safety standards on the River. We therefore commissioned the Salvage Association to carry out an independent risk assessment of the way rowing currently operates in the River.

The result was over 70 separate recommendations and to help implement these, we have appointed a tideway oarsman to act as project officer. In addition, the Authority has brought together representatives of all the waterborne leisure activities to oversee and co-ordinate the implementation of the recommendations, and to foster a collective approach to the management of the upper River. In particular, it is clear that much remains to be done to educate both frequent and less frequent leisure users about safety and the right of way. Key achievements thus far include the ordering of new low-wash environmentally friendly launches for the PLA Harbour Service in the upper River, the drafting of a Rowing Code of Practice and a trial to identify visually the limits of the navigation channel by using small marker buoys.

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