Maritime Minister, Baroness Vere, endorses PLA’s Safe Boarding Week

Baroness Vere of Norbiton, the new Maritime Minister, visited the Port of London Authority (PLA), the organisation overseeing operations in the UK’s largest port, yesterday (1 March 2023) during its inaugural annual safety initiative, ‘Safe Boarding Week’.

‘Safe Boarding Week’, a week-long safety event from the Monday 27 February to Sunday 5 March 2023, is the first of its kind in Europe. It aims to raise awareness of safe vessel access along the 95 miles of the tidal Thames in the PLA’s jurisdiction and highlights the importance the PLA places on safety on the 95 miles of the tidal Thames that it manages.

Maritime Minister Baroness Vere said:

“The UK has world-class standards when it comes to maritime safety.

“However, any injury or tragedy on our waters and riverways is one too many, and we will keep working to ensure they’re safer still.

“I’m therefore grateful to the Port of London Authority for raising awareness of this important issue and helping to ensure everyone has safe access on and off vessels.”

Throughout this week, the PLA will be inspecting the boarding facilities of cargo and passenger vessels, as well as terminal operators, jetties and piers. Responsibility for safe access on and off the vessels on the tidal Thames is shared between the master of the ship or vessel, in respect to Safe Access regulations, and the jetty or terminal operators, many of whom elect to abide to the Port Marine Safety Code.

As PLA’s chief harbour master, Bob Baker, said:

“At the PLA, safety is at the heart of everything we do. We continue to engage with berths and terminals where difficulties in providing gangway access are known to exist, and deficient boarding arrangements are frequently reported.

“By launching ‘Safe Boarding Week’, we aim to increase awareness of the PLA’s commitment to safe vessel access on the River Thames and generate information that can be used by the PLA to best influence further safety improvements to safe boarding on the River Thames.”

For further information on the PLA’s ‘Safe Boarding Week’, please visit our webpage Safe Boarding Week | Port of London Authority (pla.co.uk) or get in touch.