PLA20 Port of London Authority Handbook 2020
Published in association with The Port of London Authority by Compass Publications Ltd
Publisher James P Moriarty Sales Director Andy Bullen Editorial Felicity Landon Photography Andrew Bowen Andrew Christy Andy Wallace Ben Fitzpatrick (cover photo) DP World London Gateway Port Krispen Atkinson Patricia Stoughton Port of Tilbury Samuel Ashfield Tideway Book Design Pearce Marchbank RDI Production Editor Linda Roast Cartographer Mark Terrey Print Swallowtail Print
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher, the Port of London Authority, nor any other organisation associated with this publication. No liability can be accepted for inaccuracies of any description, although the publishers would be pleased to receive amendments for possible inclusion in future editions. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying or scanning, without the prior permission of the publishers. Such written permission must also be obtained before any part of the publication is stored in a retrieval system of any nature.
May 2020 ISSN 2057-5106 Š2020 Compass Publications Ltd 37th Edition
COMPASS
PUBLICATIONS LTD.
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Principal Offices of the Port of London Authority Business contacts at the PLA offices 9 Introduction Supply chain critical 11
Introduction
Chief Executive’s Foreword Foreword by Robin Mortimer 7
The Port of London Authority statistics Cargo and shipping statistics 2019 19 The Port of London Authority Facilities map 21
Investment and development High tide of investment 25 The River The Thames: a congestion free transport corridor 33 Harbour Master Safety, safety and safety again 39 Environment A brighter shade of green 45 Features
Thames Vision Vision and reality 51 Training Skills and training for a river of opportunity 59 Upper River A powerful river deserves our respect 63 Cruise London: a cruise destination like no other 67 Marine Services The hidden extras and essentials 71 Hydrographic Hydrographic: the enablers 77 Port of Tilbury Tilbury...and there’s more 81 DP World London Gateway Containers, construction, connections, customers, community 89
Advertisers Directory 128
Terminal factfiles
Terminal factfiles Terminal location map 95 Unit loads 97 Forest products 101 Steel and general 103 Liquid bulks 105 Dry bulks 109 Port of Tilbury 125
Introduction Introduction
Foreword by Robin Mortimer 7 Principal Offices of the Port of London Authority 9 Past, present and future perfect 11 Port of London cargo and shipping statistics 2019 19 Port of London facilities map 21
The Thames, home to one of the UK’s busiest ports.
Port of London Handbook 5
SEACON GROUP OF COMPANIES
Seacon Group Offering flexible solutions from strategic locations in the Port of London With a continuous presence in the Port of London since the 1950s, Seacon Group offers shippers dedicated handling facilities at Northfleet and Tilbury. From Northfleet we can supply shipping services with our own vessels, deep-water berth, covered berth, stevedoring, warehousing, project works and specialist through-transport solutions using our own haulage fleet. From Tilbury we can offer container shunt and devan, RoRo berth, HMRC-approved Bonded Warehousing, and quick, convenient access to London Gateway and major UK market destinations. From both locations we offer professional, friendly, benchmark service levels, to the Metals, Forest Products, Chemicals and Building Industries with the emphasis on developing long-term partnerships.
Seacon Group Limited, Tower Wharf, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9BD, UK Tel +44 (0)1474 320000 Email: info@seacon.co.uk www.seacongroup.co.uk
At the PLA we have a proud history, celebrating 110 years of service in March 2019. I write as we collectively respond to the challenge of the coronavirus, the latest chapter of the river story being shaped by the collective resilience and capability of the PLA team, the shipping lines and terminal operators we serve. The ability of operations on the Thames to respond is founded on the investment and innovation that have been the watchword for the river over recent years. That investment has not been paused by the virus response, indeed new facilities will come on-line in the coming months which will bolster the ability to keep the nation supplied with essential food, fuel and much more. Investment and innovation are key to the long-term future of the port, with new developments improving customer choice and service, whether at Tilbury2, London Gateway, the new developments at OIKOS, CRo Ports, Purfleet, and elsewhere. Allied to these developments are improvements we are making to our core safety services, with new radars commissioned, the UK’s first hybrid pilot cutter now in operation and new facilities at our main marine services base. This Handbook gives you a flavour of the future that is being secured through
Foreword
Foreword by Port of London Authority Chief Executive Robin Mortimer
investments, new capabilities and innovation. We also share how, when the response to coronavirus draws to a close, we will start to scope the PLA and the port’s journey to Net Zero Carbon. In combination, our services, and the facilities along the Thames, offer the right mix of resilient, efficient service for customers to serve consumers and businesses in London, the South East and more widely. If you want to find out more about how to bring your business to the Thames and realise the benefits of these core attributes, please get in touch.
Robin Mortimer Chief Executive
Port of London Handbook 7
Navigator Terminals provides over 1.28 million m3 of storage across our 4 UK Storage Terminals. We deliver a quality service driven by innovation and underpinned by excellence in health & safety and environmental consideration. Contact the commercial team: Navigator Terminals +44 (0) 1708 863399 mail@navigatorterminals.com
Storage Assured
Principal offices
Principal offices of the Port of London Authority London River House Royal Pier Road Gravesend Kent DA12 2BG Tel: (01474) 562200 Fax: (01474) 562281 Chief Financial Officer Julie Tankard Chief Harbour Master Bob Baker Director of Corporate Affairs and Strategy Alistair Gale Director of Human Resources Glenn Witham Director of Planning and Environment James Trimmer Director of Marine Operations Peter Steen Head of Property John Ball Harbour Master (Lower) Cathryn Spain Harbour Master (VTS & SMS) Simon Phillips Head of Commercial Development Glenda Frost Pilotage Administration Dave Newbury Tel: (01474) 562362 Fax: (01474) 562378 Pilotage Operations Tel: (01474) 562333 Fax: (01474) 352996 Duty Port Controller Gravesend Tel: (01474) 560311 Fax: (01474) 352996 Port Hydrographer John Dillon-Leetch Tel: (01474) 562210 Fax: (01474) 562314
Pinnacle House 23-26 St Dunstan’s Hill London EC3R 8HN Tel: (01474) 562200 Chief Executive Robin Mortimer Harbour Master (Upper) Mark Towens Harbour Master (Thames Tideway Tunnel) Terry Lawrence Marine House Denton Wharf Mark Lane Gravesend Kent DA12 2PL Tel: (01474) 562444 Fax: (01474) 562403 Marine Services Manager Jim Denby Thames Barrier Navigation Centre Unit 28 34 Bowater Road London SE18 5TF Tel: (020) 3260 7711 Fax: (020) 8854 7422 www.pla.co.uk Follow us on twitter @londonportauth
Port of London Handbook 9
Thames Terminals serve customers and manufacturers in the capital and across the nation.
Investment and innovation underpin the ongoing success of the Port of London.
Introduction
Supply chain critical
For centuries, the River Thames has been the lifeblood of the UK’s capital city. Today, the river is still centre stage
12 Port of London Handbook
For centuries, the River Thames has been the lifeblood of the UK’s capital city. Today, the river is again centre stage. Essential to the wellbeing of people across London, the south east and more widely across the country, Thames terminals’ role in the continued movement of cargoes of food, fuel and medical supplies has never been more important. Responding to, and the long term recovery from, the coronavirus pandemic predominates for one of the UK’s busiest ports. Cargo volumes have grown significantly in recent years – across international trade and also intra-port traffic. In 2019, the Port of London handled 54 million tonnes of cargo, a rise of 0.8 million tonnes on 2018. It is a key part of national supply chains, something the Port of London Authority (PLA) moved quickly to protect as the challenge of the coronavirus became clear. As the statutory authority with responsibility for navigational safety along the
95 miles of the tidal Thames, the PLA provides pilotage, Vessel Traffic Services, hydrographic surveying, dredging, river works and vessel licensing. It delivers a wide range of marine services and is a respected source of advice and expertise. All critical to continued river operations. The PLA is also a pioneer, leading the way on sustainability and air quality, championing intra-port freight, rescuing and reactivating wharfs under threat from housing developments, working to increase the number of passengers using river transport, supporting and encouraging sporting, recreational and cultural use of the river, preserving history, working with partners from both private and public sector to improve lives, and campaigning to bring residents and visitors closer to an iconic river that plays such a huge role in London’s wellbeing. Among the headline goals set by the PLA’s ground-breaking Thames Vision in 2016 was to achieve the busiest ever Port of London, handling 60-80 million tonnes of cargo a year. That goal has evolved. London is now the UK’s fastest-growing
Introduction
port by a significant margin, and on course to become the country’s top port. “We have made excellent progress on freight – our target was 60-80 million tonnes by 2040, if not 2025,” says PLA CEO Robin Mortimer. “We are closing the gap on the Humber, to be the biggest port in the UK. And with Tilbury2 opening and DP World London Gateway’s Berth 4 on the horizon, we have every prospect of continued growth in port trade. “In inland freight, tonnage is also still growing. Even leaving aside the super sewer project Tideway, we are recording a significant increase in intra-port traffic and we have new wharfs coming onstream.” Bringing Peruvian Wharf and neighbouring Royal Primrose Wharf back into operation has been a momentous achievement for the PLA. Peruvian is split between the aggregates operation of Brett Group and Keltbray’s planned facility for handling building waste and excavated materials. Royal Primrose has an equally important future. “We have had interest from aggregates handlers and also port operators looking to use Royal Primrose as a distribution hub for containers, which would be a real change – fitting in with the idea of light
freight going into central London using Royal Primrose as a waterfront operation,” says Robin Mortimer. “We are constantly looking at innovative ways to maximise access to the river; the Thames is like a motorway for freight, but you do need the motorway junctions to get on and off that ‘motorway’. Together, Peruvian and Royal Primrose give us a big presence.” The environment, in all its aspects, is high on the PLA agenda. The PLA goes far, far beyond its statutory duties as conservancy authority in its determination to preserve, protect and enhance the river, river banks, surrounding areas and wider city, to improve water and air quality, to reduce emissions and noise, to ensure that the River Thames offers a resource that can enhance the lives of millions.
10 Million trips are taken every year on Thames passenger vessels.
Port of London Handbook 13
Drop-in cleaner buring diesel alternative Fuel Engineering
Lubricants Waste Oil Collection
Crewing Mooring
THAMES MARINE SERVICES
ENGINEERING Hydraulics
Electrics
Plumbing
Main engine service & repairs
Gear box and propulsion maintenance
Diagnostics
Refrigeration
Generator service & repairs
THAMES MARINE SERVICES Office: 0203 935 4814 | Email: office@tmsl.london
www.thamesmarineservices.co.uk
IDEC Sport arrives on the Thames after a 31 days, 23 hours, 36 minutes and 46 seconds transit from Hong Kong setting a new record for the historic ‘Tea Clipper Route’.
Green (and Greener) Tariff The PLA was the first port in the UK to offer a discount for oceangoing vessels with lower emissions – and from the start of 2020, there is even more incentive for the greenest ships. The Green Tariff, |introduced in 2017, first offered a 5% discount on vessel conservancy charges for vessels with an ESI (Environmental Ship Index) score of 30 or above – this was doubled to 10% at the start of 2019. From January 2020, a two-tier system is offering a 20% discount for vessels with an ESI score of 50 or more, with the 10% discount staying in place for others above 30. The two-tier system of ‘green and dark green tariffs’ reflects the fact that ships’ environmental performance is clearly improving, says Robin Mortimer. “If you look at the ESI global register, over the course of the past five years the number that get 30 to 50 points is going up all
the time. By increasingly raising the bar ourselves, we are continuing to provide an incentive for improvement.” While it may not be possible to quantify precisely the impact of the Green Tariff, he says: “We hear from shipping lines that with 50 ports globally offering a similar discount, if your string calls at – for example – 20 ports, ten of which offer a discount, that will make a significant difference in terms of costs for them.” A 110-year landmark The PLA celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2019. The PLA came into being on 31 March 1909 – it was created in 1909 to bring order to the chaos and congestion that had developed on the River Thames in the late 1800s, when rival wharfs, docks and river users battled for business. Its remit was to be the conservancy authority for the tidal Thames. “That concept of conservancy used to be interpreted in a narrow sense in terms of ensuring the river wasn’t polluted and ensuring it was accessible,” says Robin
Don’t take it for granted! What’s on your shopping list, where did it come from and how did it get here? It’s one of the great frustrations of the ports and shipping sector that so many people have so little idea of an industry that is absolutely vital to their everyday needs and quality of life. It’s simply taken for granted that fuel is in the petrol pump, food is on the shop shelves, construction materials are available for major projects, waste is taken away and recycled and – of course – millions of items can be ordered online at the press of a button. In the Port of London’s case, it’s hard to think of anything that doesn’t pass over the quaysides along the length of the tidal Thames. There are some 70 terminals and wharfs in total. London handles oil, fuel, chemicals, cars, engines, machinery, vegetable oil, sugar, wine, fresh produce, cocoa, coffee, paper and forest products, cement, steel, construction materials, grain, animal feed, clothes, consumer goods, waste and recyclables. To give you a flavour of things you might not have thought of: n Costa Coffee opened its roastery in Basildon in 2017. One of the biggest roasteries in Europe, it allows for the production of 45,000 tonnes of coffee a year. The raw coffee beans from 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, are shipped through the Port of Tilbury, just 14 miles away. n The T & L Sugars Thames Refinery at Silvertown is one of the largest cane sugar refineries in the world. The 18-hectare site can process 160 tonnes of raw sugar an hour, with an annual capacity of up to 1.1 million tonnes a year. Raw sugar is imported (on up to 50 vessels a year) by Tate & Lyle Sugars from a variety of suppliers. Refined sugar and specialist products are transported directly to domestic retail and industrial customers from the site and are also exported by ship or container worldwide. n Nippon Gases imports carbon dioxide through the Port of Tilbury – it’s used in beer pumps, for producing carbonated drinks and beer, and for creating the bubbles that go into crumpets.
Port of London Handbook 15
STRONG AMBITIONS PULLED TOGETHER
Boluda Towage Europe 1st Floor, London Gateway Logistics Centre | North Sea Crossing Stanford-le-Hope | Essex SS17 9ER | United Kingdom 24/7 phone +44 1375 641288  commercial.uk@boluda.eu www.boluda.eu
Mortimer. “But today it has become a much broader concept – under ‘conservancy’ we think of a vast range of environmental impacts, from climate change to the use of plastics. I imagine that our founding fathers would not have foreseen how far the conservancy concept could be stretched. “We are focusing on renewable energy, we are looking at onshore power supplies for ships where possible and we have invested in the first hybrid pilot boat in Europe. We continue to reduce our use of plastic, and to clear litter and waste from the river and the foreshore. We are leading the way with our Air Quality Strategy. We are making good progress across all of our environmental goals, including supporting and advising Tideway, which will deliver a clean river. “And we intend to go much broader in our environmental efforts. We are focusing strongly on decarbonisation and how we can get to a zero-carbon PLA in the shortest time possible.” Air Quality In 2019, the UK Department for Transport set out the requirements, within its Clean Maritime Plan, for all major English ports to deliver Air Quality Strategies by mid-2020. The PLA was already out in front. In 2018, it became the first port authority in the UK to deliver an Air Quality Strategy, setting out clear targets for reducing emissions. In recognition of the PLA’s expertise, environment manager Tanya Ferry was
seconded to the DfT on a part-time basis during 2019, to write guidance to help other ports draw up their Air Quality Strategies. “We continue to work on refining and updating our own strategy and are very well advanced on that,” says Robin Mortimer. Looking ahead Today the enthusiasm, innovation and investment that has been at the heart of the Thames story in recent years is being tested in the cauldron of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. Bringing multiple players together, across port operations and into Government, the PLA is leading the concerted Thames response. And afterwards, the links forged together on the river will sustain and aid the recovery of our maritime centred capital and nation.
The PLA celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2019. The PLA came into being on 31 March 1909 to bring order to the chaos and congestion that had developed on the River Thames in the 1800s
110 years of service, PLA staff gathered to mark the milestone in March 2019.
Port of London Handbook 17
The Port of London cargo and shipping statistics 15
16
18
19
15
15
1400
16
17
18
17
18
19
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
19 2.8
10
Non-Fuel Traffic Million Tonnes
Million Tonnes
‘000 TEUs
16
50
10
Fuel Traffic
Unitised Traffic 1450
17
PLA statistics
Number of chargeable vessel arrivals to the Port of London in 2019: 11,104 (2018: 10,866)
15
16
17
18
19 60
1350 1300 1250 1200
2.6
50
2.4
40
2.2
30
2.0
20
1150 1100
Containers & Trailers
1050
Million TEUs
1000 Total TEUs Imports
850 800
700
Containers & Trailers
Other Cargo
Aggregates
Oil & Crude Products
2018 Total Traffic 53.2 Million Tonnes
2019 Total Traffic 54 Million Tonnes
40
600 550
35 Container Exports
Ro-Ro Exports
Container Imports
Container Exports
Ro-Ro Exports
Container Imports
Ro -Ro Imports
Ro -Ro Imports
500
350
Forest Products
10
Million Tonnes
55
45
650
400
Metal & Ores
Total Traffic
50
750
450
Total TEUs Exports
900
Total TEUs Exports
Total TEUs Imports
950
1.8
300 250
30
2019 Total Imports 44.5 Million Tonnes
2018 Total Imports 44.8 Million Tonnes
25 20 15
200
10
2018 Total Exports 8.4 Million Tonnes
2019 Total Exports 9.5 Million Tonnes
5
2018
2019
2018
2019 Port of London Handbook 19
The Port of London facilities map M25
M1
M11
A1 A406
A5
A506
A11
A1 Channel Tunnel Rail Link A10
A41
A406
A5
A40 A40M
1
3 4
2
5
Walbrook Wharf
9 Houses of Parliament A4
M4 Richmond Lock & Weir
8 10
A316 Smugglers Way
CEMEX Fulham
Northumberland Wharf Thames Wharf Dock Entrance Wharf Peruvian Wharf Canary Royal Primrose Wharf West India Wharf Docks Tower Thames Refinery Tower London City Bridge Airport Blackwall Tunnel Brewery Wharf
11
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Victoria Deep Water Terminal
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6 7
A406
“The PLA is an o which has got v It has people wh A12 experts in their have trained an Alexanders years to Wharf get to t Kierbeck Wharf they are” Rippleway Wharf Docklands Wharf CEO Robin Mort Thames Recycling Wharf
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A205
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Continental ports and Motorway connections
1
Mainline Stations
1. Paddington 2. Marylebone 3. Euston 4. St Pancras International 5. King’s Cross 6. Liverpool Street 7. Fenchurch Street 8. Waterloo 9. Charing Cross 10. Victoria 11. Clapham Junction 12. Ebbsfleet International London Terminals
20 Port of London Handbook
A21
Cargo volumes have continued to grow significantly across both international trade and also intra-port traffic Motorway and Main Road connections to London
organisation very deep skills. ho are world fields, who nd worked for CEMEX Dagenham the level where
M25
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Oikos Storage
Calor Gas Terminal
Thurrock Marine Terminal Navigator Terminal London West Thurrock Jetty InterTerminals UK Ltd
Pioneer Wharf
Port of Tilbury
European Metal Recycling
North Sea Terminal
Tilbury2
Dartford Crossing
Johnsons Wharf
Clubb’s Marine Terminal
C RO Ports Dartford Ltd
CEMEX Northfleet Britannia Wharf Seacon Terminals Robins Wharf Brett Aggregates 42 Wharf Northfleet Terminal Red Lion Wharf Imperial Wharf
12
Tilbury & Gravesend Ferry
Port Control Centre A2
M20
M25
Channel Tunnel Rail Link M26
Port of London Handbook 21
PLA facilities map
Esso Petrol Company C RO Ports London Ltd Jurgens Jetty Civil & Marine Jetty Purfleet Aggregates
Features
Leader, ground-breaking hybrid powered pilot cutter.
Port of London Handbook 23
Features
High tide of investment 25 The Thames: a congestion free transport corridor 33 Safety, safety and safety again 39 A brighter shade of green 45 Vision and reality 51 Skills and training for a river of opportunity 59 A powerful river deserves our respect 63 London: a cruise destination like no other 67 The hidden extras and essentials 71 Hydrographic: the enablers 77 Tilbury...and there’s more 81 Containers, construction, connections, customers, community 89
With any development on or affecting the river, the PLA has a central role to play.
High tide of investment SKS Dee alongside the new jetty at Oikos, Canvey Island, completed in a ÂŁ64 million investment in the site.
Offshore wind The proposed extension of Thanet Offshore Wind Farm went through a detailed examination by the Planning Inspectorate in the first half of 2019. A decision on Vattenfall’s application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) was expected in December, but this was delayed as the Secretary of State asked for more information. “We were heavily involved in the examination process and basically opposing any extension on the southern side – because that is where pilots are boarding ships for the Thames and Medway,” says Cathryn Spain. “This is outside PLA port limits, but partly inside our VTS area. We spent a very challenging six months going through the hearings and we are now awaiting the outcome. “Meanwhile, plans to extend Greater Gabbard and Galloper wind farms might not have such a direct impact – because they are outside port limits and away from the pilotage area – but there is still potential impact on traffic coming in and out of the Thames, depending on what gets approved. There are various suggestions of where they might extend those wind farms – it is very early stages, and we are keeping a watchful eye on it.”
Lower Thames Crossing The new Lower Thames Crossing is being designed to create 90% extra road capacity across the river. When it opens – current due date 2027 – it will take the pressure off the Dartford Crossing and surrounding junctions, transforming the road network in the area. But first, the tunnel must be built. The six-year construction phase will create jobs, of course – and it will create new opportunities to use the river for moving tunnelling spoil and construction materials sustainably. In 2019, borehole sampling and other ground investigation work got under way for the crossing. “All the ground investigation work has been happening, with jack-up barges at various positions as part of the work to map where the tunnel will go,” says Cathryn Spain. “At times they have been right across the navigation channel, so we have had traffic management in place – liaising with VTS to run one-way working.” Subject to the planning process, construction work could start as early as 2021. Because this is a bored tunnel, the project will not affect the navigation team, she adds. “It is mainly operations at each side of the river on the banks, and developments near the shoreline. However, there is potential for using the jetty at East Tilbury to support the project. It is being used for Tideway and it could be used to take tunnelling spoil away for the Lower Thames Crossing.”
Investment and development
Old Father Thames keeps rolling along – but the Port of London takes an altogether swifter pace. Cargo volumes continue to increase, and there is significant investment, expansion and development taking place on both sides of the river. Port, terminal and wharf operators are upgrading equipment, modernising quaysides and warehousing, and building brand new cargo handling facilities. The Tideway ‘super sewer’ project has made extraordinary progress. The Lower Thames Crossing is on the horizon. Tilbury2, the new expansion of the Port of Tilbury, is due to open in May 2020. Just along the river, DP World London Gateway is preparing for the next phase of expansion, which will be the building of Berth Four at the deepwater container port. “With any development on or affecting the river, the PLA has a central role to play – as an authority and as an expert advisor,” says Cathryn Spain, harbour master (lower), highlighting: n In its statutory role, the PLA advises, guides and oversees plans and projects. n The PLA works with policymakers and all stakeholders on the river. n In its ‘enabling’ role, the PLA provides practical support and services. n Using its expertise and knowledge, the PLA helps planners and developers to achieve their aims, while balancing this with protection of the river, the environment, and the interests of all river users.
Thames Resilience The Thames Resilience Panel, set up in 2018, brought together the PLA, emergency services and coastguard, local councils and others involved in resilience and response. “The panel is now well established and going well,” says Cathryn Spain. “During 2019, the panel began to develop a risk matrix assessment, which will identify the top ten resilience risks.”
Above: New 200-metre aggregates conveyor at CEMEX Northfleet, funded through the PLA Investment Plan.
26 Port of London Handbook
Tilbury2 The development of Tilbury2, the expansion of the Port of Tilbury which is being built on the former power station next door, progressed rapidly in 2019. In August, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid and Home Secretary Priti Patel visited Tilbury to view the existing port and the expansion area. Being built by Graham Construction, Tilbury2 will provide the UK’s largest unaccompanied ro-ro ferry port, operated by P&O Ferries. The expansion will also feature the UK’s largest construction materials terminal, being developed in a partnership between the Port of Tilbury and Tarmac. In November 2019, the Port of Tilbury won the inaugural National Infrastructure Planning Association (NIPA) award for ‘best project’. The award recognises best practice in participating in the Development Consent Order (DCO) for a nationally significant infrastructure project.
DP World London Gateway The next phase of expansion at DP World London Gateway Port will be construction of Berth Four. Opened for business in 2013, the port operates alongside the London Gateway Logistics Park, both being developed on the site of the former Shell Haven oil refinery. Ultimately, DP World London Gateway will provide a maximum six berths along 2,700 metres of quay, providing annual capacity of up to 3.5 million TEU. “DP World London Gateway is the newest and fastest growing port and logistics park in the UK,” says DP World. “As such, we are carrying out preliminary design and tendering of works relating to the development of Berth Four. “This is to enable us to go ahead with the construction and installation of equipment in the shortest possible timescale, as soon as there is sufficient customer demand.” During 2019, the PLA assisted while borehole sampling was carried out in connection with DP World’s plans for Berth Four. With jack-up barges in the river for this work, the PLA was once again involved in traffic management around the works going on.
CEMEX Northfleet A new £3.8 million dry discharge system started operations at CEMEX Northfleet Wharf in mid-2019. The PLA invested in the new conveyor and infrastructure as part of its Investment Plan, which aims to increase river use and generate commercial returns. The system enables CEMEX Marine dredgers to discharge sand and gravel more efficiently for processing at Northfleet Wharf. Before the investment the site was handling about 500,000 tonnes of building materials a year – the faster turnround of vessels enabled by the new system is expected to increase throughput to 800,000-850,000 tonnes. Kurt Cowdrey, CEMEX’s marine director, said: “We welcome the opportunity to partner with the PLA to improve cargo handling on the Thames. The capital needs approximately 10 million tonnes of sand, gravel and crushed rock every year to build, maintain and improve housing, buildings and infrastructure. The use of water to transport building materials to the heart of the city reduces the need for long-distance lorry movements, with every dredger reducing the need for 250 lorries on our busy roads.”
Oikos Oikos Storage Ltd completed the second phase of its £64 million Project Aeris in 2019, an investment that provided a new jetty and 12 new storage tanks. Now more investment is on the way, after Oikos was acquired by Aberdeen Standard Investments in May 2019 and became part of the group’s energy portfolio. “We have already seen an increase in investment in people, training and further commitment to developing the medium and long-term aspirations for the Oikos Terminal,” says Tony Woodward, Oikos general manager. The terminal has recently benefited from Project Vela, which included the refurbishment of some tanks, the replacement of an existing bund and tank foundations and excavation of a new culvert to install pipework connections. New pumps, instrumentation and safety equipment were installed to feed two new road loading bays, and new gates were installed, together with drainage, lighting and other infrastructure. The operation
Land & Water Beneficial use of tunnelling spoil; receiving the spoil by barge to keep thousands of lorries off London’s roads; the creation of a vast new wetland habitat; and strategic investment in riverside infrastructure to support logistics on the Thames. Land & Water’s unique project at Rainham Marshes brings together a whole package of environmental virtues. Land & Water operates the dredging lagoons at Rainham Marshes and, with the support of the PLA, has recently gained planning approval for what will be the largest habitat creation project ever completed inside the M25. Millions of tonnes of wet and dry spoil material will be brought to the site, where they will be air dried as required, and re-handled to create the basis of a new landform. The design will allow for the natural collection of rainwater to create wet areas, and all the work will be carried out to avoid disturbing birds during the nesting season. Tom Melhuish, Land & Water’s commercial supervisor for the project, says: “There is no ‘hard and fast’ ending to the project but we have three million cubic metres of material to import; once we have done that, we will create the final landform and leave it for the RSPB, which owns the site, to use as they wish. “Tideway is obviously generating a significant amount of spoil but there are also smaller projects, ongoing dredging projects and major infrastructure projects generating spoil.” Land & Water has already invested £435,000 in dredging and upgrading a third berth on the inside of the jetty at the site, and it has also installed an access road and set up a weighbridge and wheel wash facilities. This year plans are being put together for new lighting, refurbishment of a container crane and more work on the jetty. “We are talking to a number of project developers about loading materials via container or barge to go upriver to support construction projects,” says Tom Melhuish. “The idea is that over the jetty’s remaining lifespan, it should enable the movement of as much as possible by water, to keep lorries off the road.” Land & Water specialises in civil and environmental operations, focusing on the environment where land and water meet. Recent work on the Thames has ranged from supporting Tideway and London City Airport to dredging projects at Albert Embankment and Cemex Dagenham. This year the company will work on developments at Fulham Football Club and Deptford Creek – amongst others. Port of London Handbook 27
Over 40 35 years years experience experience in Marine Construction Construction Royal Wharf Pier
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is driver-controlled using pre-authorised swipe cards which allow each vehicle and driver access to the terminal to collect the pre-designated load. Each vehicle can be fully loaded in approximately eight minutes. Project Vela delivered the first phase of renewed road loading for Oikos. The fuel is delivered to airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Southend and Luton, in a 24/7 operation. Project Serpens, an internal project to promote the safe and efficient transfer of jet fuel between various parts of the terminal, was also completed in 2019. Project Annexsus, due for completion in January 2020, is to recommission the Oikos Feeder Line which goes underground from the Oikos Terminal to the pump station at Thames B in Thurrock – which itself connects into the CLH Pipeline System (CLH-PS), formerly called the Government Pipelines and Storage System. Next will come Project Hydra which involves mechanical and construction work to enable operation of the Oikos Marine and South Side Development project to replicate the activities which already take place at the site. Project Hydra works will include: two new marine loading arms, new
import/export pipelines on Jetty 2, new import/export pipelines and a new marine loading arm on Jetty 1, and ten 30,000 cu m storage tanks (each around 44 metres diameter and 22 metres high), located within bunded compounds. These tanks will store fuel products for which an increased Hazardous Substances Consent will be needed. The project also includes two 5,000 cu m storage tanks for FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester), the chemical term for biodiesel derived from renewable sources, often mixed with refined diesel fuel. Up to seven more road loading bays are being considered. There will be additional infrastructure to support the development, such as an extension to the site office, a new workshop and more parking, along with operational and safety works and habitat mitigation provision. “Oikos is at a very early stage of the process and there is a lot of design, assessment and analysis work that needs to be done before we can ultimately fix on what the details of the project will be,” says Tony Woodward. “The planning route for this project is through what is known as an NSIP (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project) rather than the conventional planning route. An NSIP project requires considerable work to be undertaken before any application is submitted. We are currently progressing the project through this necessary pre-application process.”
Thames partnership delivers low-emission fuel Low-emission gas-to-liquid (GTL) bunker fuel is being provided on the Thames through a partnership between Certas Energy and Thames Marine Services. The two companies started working together in early 2019. Certas, the exclusive supplier of Shell GTL, delivers the fuel by tanker to Thames Marine Services – which uses a dedicated bunker barge, the Gosso, based at Wapping, to supply the fuel to businesses along the Thames. Created from natural gas, GTL fuel has more efficient combustion properties than conventional fuels and near-zero levels of sulphur, resulting in lower emissions of pollutants. Shell GTL Fuel has been available in the Netherlands and some other European locations since 2012, and in the UK through Certas since 2016. “We are in the early phases of adoption with a number of business trialling the fuel, driven by the impact in reducing NOx (nitrogen oxide) and PM (particulate matter) emissions,” says Certas. Trials have shown that Shell GTL Fuel can reduce NOx emissions by up to 37% and PM by up to 50% compared to conventional diesel, says Thames Marine Services.
London’s unique floating cruise terminal returning to the Thames after a major overhaul.
Port of London Handbook 29
Marine ingenuity
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demonstrates our commitment to the capital’s ‘green highway’. The investment will allow us to maintain and expand our river-based operations and continue making the most of the River Thames in years to come.” Meanwhile, Cory has been granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) for its plans to build a new Riverside Energy Park. This will complement the existing facility and integrate a range of technologies including waste energy recovery, anaerobic digestion (for local food and green waste), solar panels and battery storage. Forecasts suggest it would divert a further 655,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and generate up to 96 MW of low carbon renewable electricity at peak times, adding to the permitted capacity of 72 MW at the present Energy from Waste facility. Once again, the river is set to play the central role. Thurrock Power Thurrock Power, a subsidiary of Statera Energy, has drawn up plans to develop a flexible generation and storage power plant at Thurrock. The development, which went to public consultation in October and November 2019, would provide a 600 MW gas-fired electricity generating station and a 150 MW battery storage facility. The project would involve building a causeway so that heavy parts and large amounts of materials required for construction of the plant can come in by sea.
Hornblower acquisition City Cruises, set up by Gary and Rita Beckwith in 1985, has become part of Hornblower, the San Francisco-based dining and excursion cruise operator. The Beckwiths had built up the company’s fleet over more than three decades to be the largest river cruise operator on the River Thames. The sale of City Cruises to Hornblower will mean greater investment opportunities for the brand in 2020 and beyond, said the two parties. Hornblower chief executive Terry MacRae said Hornblower was ‘incredibly excited’ to acquire City Cruises. “We have long had the ambition to enter the European market and it makes perfect sense to start our journey in one of the most iconic cities in the world,” he said.
Thames stalwart, Cory Riverside Energy announced a £7 million barge fleet modernisation programme.
Port of London Handbook 31
Investment and development
Cory Riverside Energy In May 2019, Cory Riverside Energy announced an investment of £7 million for 14 new barges to modernise its fleet. This initial investment marks the start of a new programme of investment that will replace the existing fleet over the next eight years. Cory operates a fleet of five tugs, 50 barges and more than 1,500 containers on the River Thames. This fleet is used to transport about one million tonnes of residual waste from waste transfer stations along the Thames to Cory’s Energy from Waste facility in Belvedere. The same barges and tugs then transport the ash from the energy recovery process further down the Thames to Tilbury, where it is processed into aggregate for the construction industry. The new barges will have a more efficient design as well as improved safety features. Every barge will be able to carry 20 waste containers holding a total of 250 tonnes of waste, eliminating the equivalent of 70 lorry journeys. Overall, Cory’s operations take 100,000 truck movements off London’s roads every year. At the announcement of the new barges, they said: “Cory has a long and proud history of operating on the Thames, and this investment
TheThames: a congestion free transport corridor River freight operations are removing hundreds of thousands of trucks off London’s roads every year.
32 Port of London Handbook
The River
Plenty of consumers expect next-day delivery; but how many give a thought to the logistics that lie behind it? In the general scheme of things, freight and day-to-day patterns of logistics don’t make headlines. But they should. “The way in which London’s logistics networks are shaped in the future will shape the city itself, and will have a huge impact on the quality of life of those visiting, working and living in the capital city,” says James Trimmer, the PLA’s director of planning and environment. The river has a massive role to play. The Thames provides a congestion-free east-west transport corridor. It is already taking hundreds of thousands of trucks off London’s roads every year, because the cargo they would have carried is moving by water. In 2019, a total of 4.79 million tonnes of freight was moved on the river, increasing from 2.65 million tonnes in 2018. And there is so much more that can be done. “The story of the year was Tideway – we moved past the one millionth tonne of tunnelling spoil carried by barge out of central London,” says James Trimmer.
“One barge eliminates at least 50 lorry journeys from the city’s roads. The construction of Tideway will generate about six million tonnes of project cargo, including tunnel lining segments and construction materials – the majority of this be delivered by water.” Tideway represents the culmination of years of experience for the PLA in coordinating major projects near, alongside and underneath the Thames and in ensuring that as much as possible is moved on the river. “We started with Blackfriars and went on to the Lee Tunnel and Crossrail; we have learned from each project and for each one we have hugely increased the amount carried on the river. Of course, we are now looking towards the next one, which might be Crossrail 2. “For significant infrastructure projects in London, it is now accepted that the river is, by default, the major transport choice. And that has been a huge step change.” While the Lee Tunnel and Crossrail were focused downstream of the bridges, Tideway has been on a different scale altogether, with work taking place on the river through the bridges and all the way up to Fulham. James Trimmer says: “The PLA can be very proud of what we have done in
pushing Tideway to make the maximum use of the river and enabling this to happen without noticeable intrusion on normal events on the river. Tideway is one of the largest pieces of civil engineering in London since Joseph Bazalgette’s tunnel was first constructed. We are talking about six million tonnes of cargo, which would have meant an awful lot of lorries. But this is happening beneath people’s noses and they are not even aware of it, because the river has taken the strain. In short, this project could not have been done without the river. You could not put six million tonnes on roads in London over a period of three to four years and think it will be all right – because it would not.” Taking in the view from London Bridge, one can see how much busier the river is, he says. “From the earliest stages of planning for Tideway, we were looking at sites and working out how the project could benefit from using the river. We have delivered on it.”
Above: River transport is critical to the safe, low carbon, delivery of the Thames Tideway Tunnel project.
Port of London Handbook 33
SPECIALISTS IN:
RAINHAM HABITAT CREATION AND COLDHARBOUR LANE JETTY • 3.3m³ habitat creation scheme • Disposal and reuse facility for soils and dredgings • Consented environmental permit • Direct river access • Road access • Logistics hub for the River Thames
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vehicles on the roads that simply can’t continue.” While HGV numbers on London’s roads are static or declining, there has been a massive increase in the number of LGVs, used by the services and fulfilment/home delivery sectors. “With the advantage of half the carbon emissions of road, the river must have a place in this. We have to unlock the potential of the river itself while understanding that logistics are unbelievably complicated.” Complex or not, we need to be more radical in our thinking, he says. “Now everyone expects next-day delivery at no cost. You can’t do that on a basis of net zero. Everyone wants to be more environmentally aware, yet this contradicts many aspects of modern consumerism. The question is whether we can grasp the opportunities offered by the river. We are looking for the next great leap forward for urban logistics – how London shapes logistics deliveries will shape London.” The river has had a tremendous impact on quality of life in London by removing heavy freight from roads – and yet many people are completely unaware of the fact. The next steps could be hugely exciting, says James Trimmer: “It is a question of whether we can grasp the opportunities. It isn’t just more of what we already do, but more of what we have not done and what we could do.”
Peruvian Wharf: back in action In September 2019, it was official – 20 years after handling its last cargo, Peruvian Wharf was well and truly back in business. This was a huge milestone for the PLA, which bought the wharf for £3 million in 2016 after a 17-year legal battle to bring it back into use and then invested a further £3 million preparing it for operations. Jules Pipe CBE, London’s deputy mayor for planning and regeneration, visited Peruvian to mark the reopening of the site. “It is great to see sites like Peruvian Wharf brought back into use and to recognise that traditional activities like moving cargo by river are as relevant as ever in our growing capital city,” he said. And there is more: through its Investment Plan, the PLA has acquired Royal Primrose Wharf, which is immediately downstream of Peruvian. Purchasing these two sites at Newham has ensured that they will not be lost to residential development, but their future is secure for cargo handling operations. “Peruvian and Royal Primrose together form an industrial and cargo handling core around which we can consolidate industrial users,” says James Timmer. “This is something that has been promoted by the Mayor of London and the new London Plan, which has First cargo carrying ship call for 20 years: Neptune comes alongside at Peruvian Wharf.
Port of London Handbook 35
The River
Urban logistics From huge headline-grabbing projects to day-to-day urban logistics. When the PLA drew up its Air Quality Strategy, tests showed that using the river for freight transport delivered a 50% saving in carbon emissions compared to using the road. “The river already has inbuilt advantages in terms of a lower carbon economy,” says James Trimmer. “We know that 2050 (the UK’s net zero target) isn’t that far away. We also know that the current patterns of logistics in London cannot – politically, socially or environmentally – be the same in the future as they are now. The river has proved itself as an eastwest corridor for bulk and heavy cargoes, including spoil, aggregates, construction materials and waste. Now we need to look at the opportunities for light freight, especially in the fulfilment (ecommerce) sector.” The PLA is focusing intently and proactively on how the river can fit into logistics chains, perhaps moving freight into key London wharves and tying in with last-mile deliveries by bicycle or electric vehicle. “The consciousness of climate change is so much higher now. Moving 1,000 tonnes of aggregate on a barge is brilliant – it will still happen and will grow. But there is a whole other world of light
Storing the best for London
The River
endorsed and supported our policies for protecting wharves and using the river for freight. It took many, many years to get Peruvian, but it was a short period for acquisition of Royal Primrose, although we had been planning for this for quite a number of years.” Peruvian is one of 50 strategically located wharves on the Thames that are ‘safeguarded’ by the Mayor for cargo handling. Retaining these facilities is vital if use of the river is to be maximised for moving freight. “Our investment strategy was clear – we acquired both wharves in order to keep open cargo handling opportunities in London,” says James Trimmer. “We are looking at other cargo handling sites as well, with a view to acquiring and reactivating them.”
Above: Early computer generated image of the Corporation of London’s proposed consolidated markets site at Dagenham.
Brett Group: Peruvian milestone The main tenant of the eight-acre Peruvian Wharf is Brett Group, which is operating a construction materials facility on the site. The opening of Peruvian is a milestone for the Brett business, and sends a message that safeguarded wharves must be used for river-related purposes, says Brett Aggregates development director Oliver Brown. “Without safeguarding of wharves and rail sidings, key sites will be lost, forcing projects to be supplied by road with higher emissions and greater road congestion,” he says. “It is vital for the future of London that river freight is encouraged, and more freight is moved off congested London roads.” Peruvian Wharf has enabled Brett to meet construction demand for high performance concrete locally, reducing the volume of aggregates and concrete imported into London by road, he adds. “Peruvian Wharf enables the manufacture of concrete with significantly reduced lorry movements on London’s roads, removing an estimated 100,000 lorry journeys from London roads per year, with significantly lower transport emissions.
“Brett is growing its sustainable aggregate delivery network, with the investment in a new rail linked marine terminal at Newhaven, and through investment in rail and river linked concrete plants at sites at Wembley and Peruvian Wharf. Through its London-focused concrete business, Capital Concrete, Brett will continue to grow its network of concrete plants in London which can be served through sustainable transport methods by river and rail.” Market day The PLA is working with the City of London as it looks to consolidate its three markets – Billingsgate, New Spitalfields and Smithfield – on one new site at Dagenham. “We are investigating, with the City of London, the use of the river for cargo in and cargo out,” says James Trimmer. “This could include reefer containers coming into the market, and smaller loads going out, heading upriver into central London.”
Port of London Handbook 37
Safety, safety and safety again Every year, there are more than 24,000 vessel movement to the 70 terminals and wharves that make up the Port of London.
Above: Port Control, Gravesend, at the heart of one of the UK’s busiest ports.
38 Port of London Handbook
Harbour Master
The world’s largest container ships on the main East-West trading routes. Hardworking roll-on/roll-off ferries, back and forth on their daily shortsea services to and from mainland Europe. Giant car carriers, oil and chemical tankers, aggregates vessels, general cargo ships. Barges carrying thousands of tonnes of tunnelling spoil out of central London. Ships full of paper, forest products, cocoa, wine, clothes, steel, grain, consumer products, machinery. Cruise ships, pleasure boats and commuter boats. Rowing boats and canoes. Stand-up paddle boarders. All of these – and so many more – are on the River Thames. The responsibility of the Port of London Authority (PLA) is to oversee all of this, maintaining and supporting navigational safety, as well as achieving a balance between all of these very different interests. Chief harbour master Bob Baker’s message could not be clearer: safety,
safety, safety. As cargo volumes grow and the PLA drives forward its Thames Vision goals, new and increasing challenges are inevitable. But the core message does not change. “The number of ships on the river and the amount of business is increasing,” he says. “At the same time, other activity on the river adds more pressure. Yes, of course we must deliver the most efficient and cost-effective port possible. But safety always comes first.” Take, for example, the survey work being done in advance of the new Lower Thames Crossing, including the taking of bore hole samples in strategic spots right across the river. How does that happen safely, in and alongside a busy shipping channel? “We have had to operate one-way traffic at times,” says Bob Baker. “It’s not just a case of stopping ships dead at traffic lights. The ships need to slow down in advance – it is up to our Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) experts to work out and predict which ships will get to which part of the river and at what stage. Our
VTS team can then ask ships to ease off or speed up in order to keep the traffic flowing smoothly without unexpected difficulties. It is a case of careful, detailed planning and close coordination and communication.” The PLA’s jurisdiction stretches 95 miles from Teddington Lock out into the North Sea, and its VTS area covers a total of 600 square miles. Every year, there are well over 24,000 vessel movement to the 70 different terminals and wharves that make up the Port of London. The VTS team must plan and control all vessel movements – coordinating pilotage and towage, while taking into account manoeuvring, berthing availability, tidal changes and weather. There has been near-constant investment in the PLA’s VTS technology over recent years; this will continue in 2020, with the installation of a new VHF system. “This is a planned investment and will deliver an updated, digitalised VHF system,” says Bob Baker. “We are
Port of London Handbook 39
Integrated and sustainable solutions for the built environment S Walsh & Sons has grown to become one of London’s leading construction services companies. We have unrivalled experience in site excavation, spoil handling, waste removal, materials processing and logistics by river, road and rail. We provide comprehensive end-to-end services from shipping and marine management to environmental management and land remediation. We have a track record in ensuring that projects are completed on time and under budget. As part of the GRS Group we have the backing of one of the UK’s biggest traders, and transporters of bulk materials. Walsh has played a part in virtually every major infrastructure scheme in the capital in recent times, and with the latest major investments in our marine fleet we’re committed to supporting freight on the River Thames for many years to come.
S Walsh & Sons Ltd East London Depot Ferry Lane South Rainham Essex RM13 9GY Tel: 01277 814200 Email: info@swalsh.com www.swalsh.com Part of the GRS Group
constantly watching developments in the digital world and are very aware that ships with some level of autonomy will be on the sea at some point; we must make sure that we are prepared for it.” The PLA has two VTS Centres – the main Port Control Centre is in Gravesend, and the second is at the Thames Barrier Navigation Centre in Woolwich. The entire VTS area is closely monitored and controlled, around the clock, throughout the year. Each VTS Centre is led by a duty officer with the delegated powers of the harbour master, supported by a team of VTS officers and shipping coordinators. The PLA is a recognised leader in establishing VTS standards at an international level. All of its own VTS personnel are trained to International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) standards. Training and refresher training are a vital part of the mix – the PLA’s sophisticated VTS simulator is vital, not only for training, but also for planning and preparing for unusual, new or challenging ship calls.
Class 1 pilots – those who work with the very biggest container ships and tankers. We did get to our lowest ebb with people retiring but we are starting to climb back up.” Pilots, who are all experienced mariners, start as trainees; they work their way through experience and exams from initially becoming a Class 4 pilot, all the way up to Class 1. “You can’t just sit in a classroom and learn – pilots have to complete a number of pilotage acts before they go to the next stage,” he says. The PLA’s highly advanced ship’s bridge simulator has been vital in carrying out such a large amount of training, and all the effort is paying off. “There has been a significant improvement – our pilotage business grew significantly again in 2019, with demand up by six to seven percent, but at the same time we maintained pilotage service levels at an average 98%,” says Bob Baker. “There is still work to do, and we are always looking for improvement, but this is a significant achievement compared to where we were in 2016-17. Because we have so many pilots training, a whole swathe of people is moving up the scale, and the simulator is working flat out to assist with that training.” The PLA uses bespoke pilot allocation software which allocates pilots to ships in the most efficient way. If a ship suddenly changes its ETA, the program can do a
Harbour Master
Investment in recruiting and training new pilots continues at a high level.
Ask the experts – on board Even with the most qualified master and officers on the bridge, ships don’t just turn up in port and moor alongside all on their own. Far from it. As they prepare to make their way into the estuary, the real expert is welcomed onboard – a PLA pilot. The PLA’s highly skilled and experienced pilots bring ships safely to and from their berths along the length of the river. As they work, they are drawing on their extraordinary breadth of knowledge and expertise. Where are the quirks in the river? Where are the tidal currents to be wary of? What is the weather doing and what will be the impact? They liaise with VTS and towage providers. What are other ships in the channel doing? Is there a need to slow down or keep moving? Is the berth available and ready? They have huge knowledge of the jetties, piers and bridges along the way. One thing is certain – no ship wants to be delayed waiting for a pilot. But a rapid increase in ship calls caught everyone by surprise three years ago – this growth in business coincided with a number of pilots retiring, and demand for pilots on the Thames was outstripping supply. Pilots simply cannot be recruited and trained overnight, but the PLA worked hard and consistently to correct the balance. As a result, the picture is far more positive today. “Our training regime which we kicked off in 2015 is now bearing fruit,” says Bob Baker. “We are confident that we will now see a continued improvement and increase not only in overall pilots, but in
Risk assessment What might go wrong? What has gone wrong? Why, how, and what can we do to avoid incidents? In the PLA’s drive for safety on the river, incident investigation and risk assessment play a major part. In the past year, both sides of the coin have been brought together into one software system provided by Resolver – and there will be clear benefits from this. “It has been a lot of work and effort to get this into place, but we are now up and running,” says Bob Baker. “Previously we had two separate systems – now we have upgraded and combined them. If we have an incident it will be investigated and the information and conclusion will be put into the system and fed straight into our risk assessment. “When we do our risk assessment, the system will show all incidents pertinent to that risk, so the system will be more automatic, slicker, and deliver ready information. That in turn enables us to focus our mitigation on the highest risks, in a more efficient and scientific way.”
Updating legislation The original legislation that created the PLA in 1908 was updated 60 years later in the 1968 Port of London Act. There was a review in 1992 and since then there have been various one-off amendments. So the decision was taken in 2019 to launch a major overhaul and update of the PLA’s legislation, which will deliver more clarity and be fit for purpose in an increasingly busy, increasingly high-tech environment. “This is all about bringing our regulations up to date and more in line with modern-day practices, and clarifying our powers,” says Bob Baker. The PLA ran an informal consultation process about the proposed changes, starting in October 2019 and they have now been submitted to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in the form of a Harbour Revision Order.
River patrol for deputy harbour master, Miles Featherstone.
Harbour Master
complete reallocation in real time, to keep operations at their most efficient. Meanwhile, the simulator is also used for planning, testing and preparing for handling vessels in all kinds of conditions. To the east, two pilots are deployed together to bring 400-metre-long container vessels carrying more than 20,000 TEU into DP World London Gateway. To the west, specialist river pilots bring cruise ships through the Thames Barrier and as far upriver as moorings alongside HMS Belfast, while specialist tugs and tows are at times taken through central London, passing the capital’s famous bridges.
What might go wrong? What has gone wrong? Why, how, and what can we do to avoid incidents? In the PLA’s drive for safety on the river, incident investigation and risk assessment play a major part
Port of London Handbook 43
A brighter shade of green From its Green Tariff to its Air Quality Strategy, the PLA is leading the way on sustainability.
Above: Convening essential conversations at London’s first Greening Inland Shipping conference.
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Environment
Most organisations want to be ‘seen to be green’ these days. But ‘being seen’ just isn’t enough. The PLA’s commitment to the environment goes so much further – it is about leading the way, working with and encouraging others, making real, tangible changes, and constantly focusing on the next steps ahead. In short, there are many shades of green – and the PLA is aiming for the most vibrant of them. During London International Shipping Week in September 2019, the PLA took the lead once again, organising a ‘Greening Inland Shipping Conference’. The event took an in-depth look at the new fuels and technologies which could reduce emissions from inland vessels – on the River Thames and elsewhere. As he reflected on a full day of presentations and discussions, PLA chairman Christopher Rodrigues pointed out that shifting to greener inland vessels and fuels to reduce or eliminate emissions was not going to be a free choice for
operators for very much longer. Anyone speaking out for improving air quality was hardly going to be shouted down, he said, and he warned: “I think the regulatory horizon is going to tighten in on us much more quickly than people might think.” With an overall focus on accelerating the adoption of cleaner propulsion technologies on the Thames, the conference covered the political and environmental context, international projects, the lessons learned from specific case studies, and how green tech for inland vessels can be financed. Speakers included Hege Økland, general manager maritime at the Norwegian cluster NCE Maritime CleanTech, Hans Thornell of Green City Ferries, and Annet van Lier, the programme manager for CLINSH (CLean INland SHipping). “The Greener Inland Shipping Conference was part of our broader Air Quality Strategy actions,” says the PLA’s environment manager, Tanya Ferry. “In terms of number and diversity, the Port of London is the biggest in the UK for inland shipping. “Because of the conference, operators are thinking about how to change. We
have had the influence of Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion, and we are all aware of the climate and ecological emergency on our doorstep. We are determined to set an example and to operate by it.” The Department for Transport’s Clean Maritime Plan has prompted multiple discussions on investments, technology and fuel for the future – but does not specifically go into detail on inland vessels. The PLA has taken the initiative and commissioned sustainable energy consultant E4tech to carry out a ‘road map exercise’. This will consider the practicalities of employing different propulsion and fuel solutions on the river – looking at the technologies, opportunities and costs involved in getting from theory to practice. “This has been a work in progress, with consultants talking directly to vessel operators to find out about their priorities and the challenges they face,” says Tanya Ferry. “Early in 2020 we will have a better idea of what regulatory gaps there
Port of London Handbook 45
Clearing litter from the river is a year-round activity. A staggering 300 tonnes of rubbish is found in the river each year
Volunteers join Kiko Matthews for a Thames foreshore clear up at the end of her 6,863km, Kik Plastics bike ride around the coast of the UK and part of Ireland.
might be and what the barriers are for inland vessel operators looking to reduce emissions. “The road map will give us an idea of where there are opportunities for investment – perhaps where operational changes are needed, such as the use of piers. It will help us to go to technology providers, clean tech people and access programmes to drive through some of the barriers.” The PLA has also created an online portal where operators can share information about any trials they are doing which might be relevant for others. “We are trying to provide more certainty for operators,” says Tanya Ferry. “When it comes to changing fuels, we can’t do it for them – but we can make sure it is safe and achievable.” The Shipping Week conference was just one piece of the green jigsaw, which also includes the UK’s first discounts for international shipping with lower emissions, the UK’s first Air Quality Strategy, Europe’s first hybrid pilot launch, work with the RSPB to create and improve habitats, ongoing litter clearance, and an ‘in-house’ commitment to recycling and reducing waste.
Green Tariff Greener ships – lower rates. The PLA was the first port in the UK to offer a discount for vessels with emissions lower than those required by regulation. When the Green Tariff was introduced in 2017, vessels with an ESI (Environmental Ship Index) score of 30 or above were entitled to a 5% discount on port charges. The discount was doubled to 10% in 2019. From the start of 2020, the Green Tariff will be a two-tier offering – with a 20% discount for vessels with an ESI score of 50 and above, and the 10% discount remaining for vessels of 30-plus. “We want to encourage vessel owners and operators to move up the ladder and get the benefit of doing so,” says Tanya Ferry. There are also plans to introduce a similar Green Tariff scheme for inland vessels. This would recognise efforts over and above legal requirements and also take into account a range of activities that help to improve the Thames environment. That could include supporting biodiversity and promoting information about the Thames in marketing and customer information. “There are also some very real actions that can be taken – for example, focusing on litter management and preventing pollution with sealed skips and appropriately managed and bunded fuel tanks,” she says.
Air Quality The PLA’s Air Quality Strategy set clear targets on emissions across particulates and NOX, the most harmful to human health, and also on carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. A five-year action plan features detailed policies such as exploring onshore power for vessels, monitoring new emissions reducing technology, sharing best practice, real-time monitoring and continuing research. One of the actions that went ahead in 2019 was the installation of a network of calibrated air pollution monitors to record the effect of emissions from cruise ships at Greenwich. “We were already setting the bar – now we are rewriting the strategy specifically to meet the new DfT guidance. Within that, we are going for net zero,” says Tanya Ferry. “We have introduced the idea of progressive improvements in all aspects of sustainability. People are looking to us to give solutions.”
Funds for greener vessels The Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund has provided a grant of £500,000 to support work to reduce pollution from vessels on the tidal Thames. The money will be used by the Cross River Partnership to retrofit up to eleven river vessels, including tugs and passenger vessels, with the aim of cutting their emissions by up to 90%. The initiative is part of the Clean Air Thames project, in which the PLA, the GLA and the City of London Corporation are partners. “This may be a small step forward, but it is an important one,” says Tanya Ferry. One of the goals in the Thames Vision is to maximise the use of the river for freight and passengers, taking traffic off London’s roads. Moving freight by water is far more environmentally friendly than by road, but that doesn’t make things perfect. Vessels using the tidal Thames currently account for an estimated one per cent of total emissions across London, so clearly it is important to act – or the figure could rise as emissions from other sources progressively reduce.
Litter strategy Clearing litter from the river is a yearround activity for the PLA. A staggering 300 tonnes of rubbish is found in the river each year. The marine services team operates two specialist craft, Driftwood II and Driftwood III, for removing rubbish, and a series of passive driftwood collectors are located along the river and regularly emptied. The PLA also leads the Thames Litter Forum which in 2018 launched the Thames Litter Strategy. This followed on from the 2015 launch of the Cleaner Thames campaign in partnership with Thames21, the Thames Litter Forum, Royal Holloway – University of London, the Natural History Museum and Tideway. In addition it continues to work with environmental charity Thames21, supporting its work in foreshore clean-ups. Now the PLA is looking at a refresh of the Litter Strategy, working out the best way to measure and deal with litter in the river and on the foreshore.
Environment
Habitats and biodiversity Who knows about the rare shrill carder bee? Along with the lapwing and redshank, it’s one of the species set to benefit from over £150,000 of investment by the PLA and a new partnership with the RSPB. The Thames Estuary contains some of the UK’s most important and protected wetland habitats. These support a wide range of flora and fauna, including many species that are in decline or under threat. The PLA is determined to protect and enhance these areas, as outlined in the environmental commitments of the Thames Vision. During 2019, a new
48 Port of London Handbook
partnership was announced between the PLA and the RSPB, to create improved habitat for birds, bees and other wildlife along the river in both Kent and Essex. The partnership will protect and improve the condition of 386 hectares of priority habitat and 10 kms of enhanced wetland ditches to support water voles. It will also provide new connections between areas of habitat. The location of the sites is highly significant – they are close to urban areas, offering greater potential for increasing visitor numbers and educational opportunities. That ties in with the PLA’s target of getting more people engaged with, understanding and valuing the Thames and its environment.” During autumn 2019, work started with grassland and water management
measures, to provide wildlife with breeding habitats. In Essex, RSPB Canvey Wick is a stronghold of the shrill carder bee. At RSPB Bowers Marsh nature reserve, a new tilting weir is being installed to hold water in wetland areas and protect them from drought. In Kent, hydrology improvements have been made at Higham Marsh, an important habitat for birds. In addition the PLA is monitoring its own biological assets nearby and will be extending the monitoring to other areas in 2020.
Testing technology: new hybrid diesel pilot cutter Leader being put through her paces in early training sessions.
Pushing forward From May 2020, the PLA will have a new environmental fund and a new team to push forward on sustainability and biodiversity on the River Thames. “We will have a £50,000 pot and will be calling for projects to be funded,” says Tanya Ferry. “Projects might focus on specific Thames Vision target areas, education, or they might be practical developments like tree planting. “We will have a completely new team to help deliver a new environmental service to the river, and the team will include technical advisors in areas such as water quality, biodiversity and environmental protection. This is part of a renewed focus as we work to achieve the environmental goals in the Thames Vision.”
Getting involved As well as the £150,000 investment into the RSPB partnership, the PLA is organising volunteering days, during which employees help to deliver improvements at the sites. The PLA is also now a corporate supporter of the London, Essex and Kent wildlife trusts, and as a result its employees are getting even more involved in clean-ups and wildlife days. During 2019, a PLA staff environmental awareness day saw organisations such as Southern Water, the RSPB and the wildlife trusts give presentations on a broad range of topics. “There were presentations on fat collectors, the work of the wildlife trusts, cycle-to-work schemes and car sharing, and a ‘simple swaps’ table giving ideas to reduce our environmental
footprint,” says Tanya Ferry. “We also had some staff involved in demonstrations on composting, recycling and other activities.” A new environmental photography competition has given staff a new inspiration, and the PLA has also started an ‘Environmental Champion’ programme in which staff can nominate others for taking the extra step to improve the environment, either at home or at work.
Port of London Handbook 49
Vision and reality Above: Drawing people to the river: 2019 saw the first four of 14 bridges lit in the Illuminated River project.
50 Port of London Handbook
The Thames Vision have been achieving and evolving – now it’s time for review.
Thames Vision
Forward-looking, ambitious, and rooted in reality – the PLA’s Thames Vision, launched in 2016, provided a new focus and direction for the river. Divided into six clearly defined goals, the Vision set out proposals and commitments for the development of the river over two decades, across trade, travel, environment and culture. It was drawn up after many months of research and consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. Of course, nothing stands still and this is a living, evolving Vision. And already
there have been solid achievements across all six goals. The busiest ever Port of London: Volumes grew in 2019 to 54 million tonnes, up from the base of some 45 million tonnes a year when the Vision was developed. The Port of London is closing in on the title of the UK’s busiest port. And the Port of London is also remarkable for the vast range of cargoes handled through its ports, terminals and wharves: oil, fuel, chemicals, cars, engines, machinery, vegetable oil, sugar, wine, fresh produce, cocoa, coffee, paper and forest products, cement, steel, construction materials, grain, animal feed, clothes, consumer goods, waste and recyclables. More inland freight, taking trucks off the roads: New wharves are coming back onstream, including Peruvian Wharf,
with its neighbouring Royal Primrose Wharf set to come into operations soon too. The Mayor of London’s ‘safeguarded’ wharves are key to growing intra-port traffic such as the day-to-day movement of aggregates, construction materials and domestic waste, as well as tunnelling spoil, demolition materials and project cargo associated with major infrastructure developments. Double the number of people travelling by river, to reach 20 million commuter and tourist trips a year: This has proved one of the more challenging goals, says PLA CEO Robin Mortimer. “Passenger numbers have remained pretty much flat and there
Port of London Handbook 51
“We have partnerships with Sport England, London Sport and a whole range of clubs and providers of sporting facilities on the Thames.” Robin Mortimer PLA CEO
needs to be a big step change to see our target realised by 2035,” he says. The PLA has commissioned Arup to undertake a passenger transport study which will analyse demand and supply – and consider how to encourage more passenger use of the Thames. This work is also supported by Transport for London and the Greater London Authority (GLA). “We need to take a step back and find out what is needed. Is it about infrastructure, or do we need a change
in price structure? Do we need more competition? Do we need investment in a different type of pier? The study is taking a detailed look at the whole market. We will use the conclusion and recommendations of the report to work with the Mayor of London in terms of what needs to be done to increase passenger transport by river.” A riverside which is a magnet for ramblers, historians, artists and others: In September 2019, the PLA and the GLA published ‘The Case for a River Thames Cultural Vision’, a new report which set the direction for making the
most of the river’s cultural attractions – for both Londoners and visitors. The report brought together the aspirations of the Thames Vision, the GLA’s priorities for promoting London on the world stage and contributions from multiple stakeholders. Collectively they considered what needs to be done to ensure the River Thames plays a full and vibrant role in the cultural life of the capital – across the arts, sport, recreation, events, ecology, transport and industry. A key recommendation was for improved communication and
collaboration. In direct response, the PLA is establishing a ‘one-stop-shop’ website showcasing the full range of events and activities taking place on the river each year. Greater participation in sport and recreation on and alongside the river: In 2019, a new role was created at the PLA – Jenny Cooper was appointed sports participation and community outreach manager. Her work is all about watersports – and getting more people
Sports Participation Fund supported the acquisition of new sailing dinghies for Dartford Cambria Sea Scouts.
Port of London Handbook 53
Thames Vision
Thames Vision refresh To misquote a phrase…five years is a long time in the life of a river. The original Thames Vision was launched in mid-2016 after 18 months of research, consultation and development. That means the Vision already dates back five years. It’s time to take a fresh look at the contents, aims and strategy. “We need to review the Vision, look at progress, consider what has changed and discuss what we need to do differently or in addition,” says Alistair Gale, the PLA’s director of corporate affairs and strategy. “The world has changed in many ways since we launched the original Vision, river use had grown in virtually all aspects, there is the drive for Net Zero emissions and we have to adjust to life reshaped by the COVID-19 outbreak, which has arguably accelerated digital transformation.” London’s rate of growth means that it will in a few years’ time be a mega city of 10 million-plus residents, Alistair Gale points out. “On the journey from 8.6 million to 10 million, the River Thames can play a critical role – not only as part of the transport mix but also in making the city a liveable place. The river will be the ‘blue lung’ of the capital. In the middle of a busy day, what better than to go to the riverside and take a pause and breath? Or at night, see the city in a different light and let it take your breath away.” The refresh of the Thames Vision will be based on detailed research and consultation with all those with an interest in or passion about the river, including local communities, vessel operators and other stakeholders. “We will be asking: what do you want to see happen on the river? Whatever happens, the port will continue to play a critical role at the heart of the London, South East and whole UK economy.” Consultation and data gathering will feed into an initial draft of a new Vision which will be published for further consultation in 2021. This will be the Thames Vision for the next three decades, tying in economic recovery alongside the Government’s 2050 emissions target. As Alistair Gale says: “The imperative to take action has never been stronger.”
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involved. She will work with London Sport, Kent Sport, Essex Active and others to help grassroots sports groups to attract a wider membership. “We have partnerships with Sport England, London Sport and a whole range of clubs and providers of sporting facilities on the Thames,” says Robin Mortimer. “We are developing a programme called Active Thames which is aiming to get more active participation on the Thames, particularly people who are not currently active. We are looking at expanding clubs that are already operating.” The PLA’s Sports Participation Fund, set up in 2018, is making grants available for clubs and organisations working to increase public participation in rowing, paddle boarding and other sports on the tidal River Thames. The AHOY Centre in Deptford and Benfleet Yacht Club were the first two beneficiaries. During 2019, beneficiaries included Richmond Canoe Club, which invested its £8,000 grant in six new kayaks and canoes, buoyancy aids and paddles. Jenny Cooper, who joined the PLA having worked for the London Youth Rowing charity as a community coach
and then life skills programme director, says: “I know the transformational effect that getting out on the river can have, particularly on young people who have no family or social links to the capital’s waterway. I am hugely excited now to be promoting what the river has to offer to an even wider audience, particularly in less well-off areas.” The cleanest River Thames since the Industrial Revolution, with improved habitats and awareness of heritage: A proactive partnership with the RSPB and ongoing investment in improving wetland habitats, a focus on biodiversity, the launch of the Thames Litter Strategy and more structured ways of measuring and clearing litter on the foreshore, the Green Tariff to encourage greener shipping, and other initiatives to reduce emissions, and leading the way on air quality – the PLA continues to put environmental action at the forefront of every move it makes.
“I know the transformational effect that getting out on the river can have, particularly on young people who have no family or social links to the capital’s waterway.” Jenny Cooper, PLA Sports Participation and Community Outreach Manager
Above: Foragers of the Foreshore exhibition, part of September’s Totally Thames river celebration.
Port of London Handbook 55
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Navigating the journey to cleaner air with alternative fuels The maritime industry is facing increasing pressure to reduce emissions of harmful pollutants of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulphur oxide (SOx) from ships’ exhaust gas. From 1st January 2020, the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) will reduce the global limit for sulphur in fuel oil from 3.5% m/m to 0.50% m/m. While it can be difficult to measure emissions released by marine vessels out in the open ocean, their impact can be felt both on land and at sea. A large cruise ship can produce as much NOx as 421,153 cars and the equivalent sulphur dioxide as 376 million cars . Long-term exposure to pollutants emitted by ships not only have environmental implications but can cause health issues for those working in close proximity to the ships as well as the communities living near ports and coastal areas with a concentrated influx of vessels. Both national and international bodies have taken numerous measures to reduce emissions of harmful pollutants at sea. Introduced in 1997, MARPOL Annex VI limits ships’ main air pollutants (including NOx and SOx), while in the UK, the draft Clean Air Strategy 2018 lays out the government’s plan to introduce a Clean Maritime Council to drive uptake of cleaner technologies and greener fuels to reduce emissions of harmful pollutants. With the spotlight on them, marine companies need to consider alternative ways to reduce emissions now to avoid potential sanctions for non-compliance in the near future. What can be learned from the many other UK businesses across sectors including transport, construction and public sector that have responded to the increasing focus on air quality by adopting cleaner burning alternative fuels to reduce emissions of harmful pollutant? How exactly do alternative fuels help to lower emissions, and what environmental and performance benefits can they offer to maritime businesses looking to improve the sustainability of their operations? Reducing the environmental impact of maritime operations While a low emission future cannot be achieved overnight, there are a number of steps businesses can take to minimise their impact on air quality. Alternative fuels are powering the transition to lower emission mobility, with a mix of biofuels, hydrogen and LNG amongst others offering a solution for a cleaner marine industry. These fuels can offer an immediate solution to reduce levels of pollutants such as NOx and particulate matter (PM) from sea vessels, presenting an opportunity for early adopters to drive the transition to a low emission future. Paraffinic gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuels, such as Shell GTL Fuel can support marine businesses to meet the requirements of emissions regulation immediately. Rather than being derived from crude oil, GTL fuels are created from natural gas using the Fischer-Tropsch manufacturing process. The Fischer-Tropsch process produces more consistent and uniform molecules compared to conventional crude oil refining. This means that GTL fuel has more efficient combustion properties and near-zero levels of sulphur, resulting in lower emissions of pollutants - such as NOx and PM - than conventional fuels. When used for marine applications, Shell GTL Fuel can reduce NOx emissions by 6-13% and PM by 15-60%. The fuel satisfies both NOx and SOx emissions limit set out in MARPOL Annex VI as an ISO 8217 fuel, and does not need further NOx
testing as required by other types of fuels under the regulation. The fuel is also classified as non-toxic and readily biodegradable, which means it disperses naturally within weeks in the unusual case of a spill - a huge advantage for vessels operating in areas of environmental sensitivity. In vessels running on heavy duty diesel engines, Shell GTL Fuel can be introduced without requiring any modifications to existing engines or operational maintenance. Smooth sailing As well as the clear environmental and low-emission advantages, alternative fuels can provide additional performance benefits to create a more pleasant environment for passengers on cruise liners or transport vessels. The more uniform combustion of paraffinic fuels means that they can significantly reduce engine noise - by as much as 8 decibels with Shell GTL Fuel. The fuel is also odourless, a major advantage for leisure passengers who don’t want their journey to be tainted by the strong smell of diesel. Certas Energy, the exclusive supplier of Shell GTL Fuel in the UK, has recently supplied multi-national cruise liner MV Black Watch with Shell GTL Fuel to immediately reduce the vessel’s emissions of harmful air pollutants, improve air quality for its passengers and create a more relaxing, enjoyable experience for customers. Uptake of alternative fuels in the UK is increasing in cruise liners as well as smaller leisure craft. Princess Motor Yacht Sales, worldwide distributor of luxury yacht brand, Princess, recently demonstrated its commitment to the marine environment by fuelling a low emission journey home from the London Boat Show with Shell GTL Fuel. Certas Energy fuelled the luxury Princess 43, Princess 55 and Princess 65 yachts before they sailed back to Swanwick from the show. The Princess 65 yacht, which is valued at £2.4 million, is powered by a Twin MAN engine and the three vessels were fuelled with a combined 10,000 litres of Shell GTL. A cleaner, safer marine industry A recent article in The Guardian highlighted how plans for a new cruise ship terminal in London are coming under scrutiny for the project’s potential impact on local air quality through NOx, PM and SOx emissions. Clearly the impact of marine emissions is no longer out at sea, and the pressure is on to find a workable solution that can have an immediate impact. Alternative fuels offer a practical solution for reducing harmful pollutants and can help the marine sector meet air quality and emissions standards for cities and inland waterways. With emissions regulation tightening, there is an opportunity for fleets large and small to embrace this immediate solution without the need for significant investment in new equipment. The marine industry has an vital role to play in helping to reduce harmful emissions for the benefit of the environment, their passengers and workforce, and our coastal communities. Shell GTL Fuel is available exclusively from Certas Energy in the UK. As the UK’s largest independent distributor of fuel and lubricants, Certas Energy operates a national network that delivers a competitive, responsive local service. Alongside road deliveries to almost every UK port, Certas Energy has marine gas oil bunkering facilities at Pool Wharf, Aberdeen and the Thames, which also supplies Shell GTL Fuel in partnership with Thames Marine Services.
Apprentices and graduates, training centres, simulators and the Thames Skills Academy – there’s a determination to meet the challenge.
Skills and training for a river of opportunity
How many young people give any thought to choosing a career in maritime? Do they even know about the opportunities? How do we inform and inspire them and how do we convince them to get involved? What training do they need to take up those opportunities? And what skills will the workforce of tomorrow need anyway, given that our world is being transformed by decarbonisation, digitalisation, innovation and a blur of technological advances? Recruitment, training and skills. Make no mistake about it, this is a challenge for the whole maritime sector – across the UK and around the world. The River Thames and the Port of London is no exception in that regard. The Thames Vision has set clear ambitions for the port to handle even higher volumes of cargo, to make more use of the river for intra-port traffic in order to remove lorries from London’s roads, and to encourage far more people to use the river for transport. But, to put it bluntly, an expanding Port of London depends entirely on having the right people with the right skills in the right
place – boat masters, barge crews, VTS operators, pilots, hydrographers, crane drivers, marine engineers and logistics specialists, to mention just a few. Where the River Thames stands out from the crowd is its response to the challenge. The determination of its whole maritime-related community is reflected in a wealth of training programmes and initiatives – both individual and collective. We’re talking about apprentices and graduates, training centres, simulators and the Thames Skills Academy. The Thames Skills Academy (TSA) has brought together marine employers on the river to develop and provide for their training needs and promote career opportunities on the Thames. As a recognised Group Training Association (GTA), it is able to speak on behalf of a wide range of employers working on the tidal Thames and has significant influence and impact because of this. In September 2019, the TSA held its #CareersOnTheThames event, on board the paddle seamer Dixie Queen as part of the Totally Thames festival. About 150 people joined the annual floating careers fair, which provides a chance for careers advisors, teachers, youth leaders and job seekers to see for themselves the ‘river of
opportunities’ for highly skilled, varied and well-paid careers in the heart of London. Companies taking part included City Cruises, Thames Clippers, Cory Riverside Energy, Livett’s Group (Bennett’s Barges, Thames Luxury Charters and Livett’s Launches), Briggs Marine & Environment Services, the PLA, Tideway, Totally Thames Festival, Transport for London, the Company of Watermen and Lightermen, and Maritime UK. Among the speakers were Sean Collins, chief executive and co-founder of Thames Clippers, and employees from Cory Riverside Energy, Bennett’s Barges, the PLA and City Cruises spoke about their TSA apprenticeships. Katherine Riggs, CEO of Thames Skills Academy, said after the careers fair: “This event grows in popularity every year. It is a great opportunity to welcome people onto the Thames so they can explore a whole host of careers that they may
Keeping things ticking over: PLA apprentice Rosie Arrowsmith.
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handling experience. It was developed by the TSA, working closely with operators mainly on the tidal Thames. At least 95 per cent of the value of the £24,000 apprenticeship is met by the Institute for Apprenticeships. The first group to start this new apprenticeship training joined in November and there will be two more intakes in March and September this year. Meanwhile, the PLA is also working with the Company of Watermen and Lightermen, to work on a framework for CPD (continuous professional development) on the Thames. “This again loops back to the Thames Vision and its ambition for great use of the river,” says Alistair Gale, the PLA’s director of corporate affairs and strategy. “If we are going to have growth on the river, we need well qualified people who can navigate vessels safely in that busier environment.”
Port of Tilbury Forth Ports, which operates the Port of Tilbury, is committed to an end-to-end ‘employment lifecycle’ of training and skills development programmes and opportunities. These range from Modern Apprenticeships to Schools Discovery Weeks. In Tilbury, the group has a bespoke Academy, where training provided for employees ranges from corporate and local inductions to compliance and health and safety training, technical and professional skills, and management and leadership development programmes. The group supports skills and training within the community through the Department of Work and Pensions, focusing on tailormade Work Ready Programmes. Its Technology Suite houses two simulators that are used to re-skill or up-skill military veterans into work through the Tilbury on the Thames Trust and to develop in-house plant operation skills. A Vortex Simulator was purchased specifically for Tilbury’s Attention to Logistics retraining programme aimed at veterans. This 13-screen, 270-degreeview simulator includes ship-to-shore and straddle carrier training packs, providing trainees with valuable experience that prepares them for operating in the real terminal environment.
Above: Tilbury’s Vortex Simulator in action.
Port of London Handbook 61
Training
never have considered and to learn about the apprenticeships on offer. We were delighted to see such a wide range of people on board this year and look forward to welcoming more people into the industry.” Women on the Water, which was set up by the TSA to support women working on the River Thames, launched a ‘Lean in Circle’ in October 2019. The circle aims to attract more women into operational roles and encourage more diversity by providing networking opportunities, knowledge sharing and mentoring, and helping position the industry as an attractive career choice for women. The Trailblazer Boatmaster Apprenticeship was launched in November. The two-year course will provide newly qualified skippers with the skills they need for the future and is also available to improve the skills of existing operators on the UK’s inland waterways, says Katherine Riggs. The apprenticeship, which leads to a Level 3 qualification, covers the curriculum set out in the Boatmasters Licence syllabus and the Inland Waterways diploma as well as additional skills such leadership and additional boat
A powerful river deserves our respect From filming to sporting events, the PLA is there to help things happen.
Above: On the river: HRH Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, on a PLA patrol vessel ahead of the launch of the Drowning Prevention Strategy for the tidal Thames.
62 Port of London Handbook
and in constant use by freight and passenger vessels and other craft. There are what are certainties in normal times – think of the annual Boat Race, the Great River Race and the New Year’s Eve fireworks, but if anyone needs reminding that this is a ‘live’ river to be respected, the inaugural Regatta London event would be a good example. This was no ordinary event – taking place during the Thames Barrier closure, it was to involve 600 boats racing through central London. “We did a huge amount of planning and preparation for this event. But unfortunately, due to the heavy rains and stormy weather, it had to be cancelled,” says Mark Towens, harbour master (upper). “This just demonstrates the power of the river – we have to respect the river and nature. We have to work with the river. However, it also demonstrates our willingness to work with the organisers of such events; in this case, the organisers are looking to do the event in 2020, so the groundwork has been laid.” Away from the giant container ships downriver, the PLA’s team overseeing the ‘middle’ district of the tidal Thames have some very specific challenges. The needs of cargo and passenger vessels must be balanced with huge projects such as Tideway, and with cruise ships, leisure users, tourists and visitors.
Drowning Prevention Strategy About 30 people drown in the River Thames every year. Most of these tragedies are linked to mental health issues. But on top of that tragic figure, there are an estimated 700 incidents that happen each year on the river, where a person’s life is at risk – either by misadventure or as the result of a suicide attempt. The Drowning Prevention Strategy for the tidal Thames has been produced by a partnership of the PLA, the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), London Ambulance Service and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). These organisations are calling on everyone to play their part in saving lives – by following safety advice and having the confidence to intervene if they see someone in danger or who seems on the verge of self-harm on the river. “The river’s power to take lives should never be underestimated,” says Mark Towens, who chairs the Tidal Thames Water Safety Forum. “Factors such as the impact of cold water shock mean that people who end up in the tidal Thames, for whatever reason, can drown in a matter of minutes. So it is vital that we all
Port of London Handbook 63
Upper River
Expect the unexpected on the River Thames – in the past year it has provided the stage and set for a waterborne concert by Stormzy, scenes being filmed for a crime drama, a TV chef whipping up their latest cookery show, and even the construction of Fulham Football Club’s new riverside stand. The PLA is there to help things happen – helping, advising and ensuring safety above everything. Two years ago, an entire football tournament took place on a 400-seater floating stadium. It’s easy to understand why the iconic backdrop of the River Thames is in demand for filming, advertising, marketing, cultural and sporting stunts and events. However, it is also easy to see how people can lose sight of the fact that this is still a natural environment with real risks – the Thames is a river with a strong tidal flow and currents, a daily tidal rise and fall of seven metres, subject to unpredictable weather,
work together to stop people getting into the water in the first place.” The Drowning Prevention Strategy received strong support from the Duke of Cambridge, who officially launched the campaign during a major event held on the river just below Tower Bridge in May 2019. “Prince William met first responders and affected families, and the event gathered a lot of publicity,” says Mark Towens. The strategy has attracted a good deal of attention from a number of ports, police forces and others and the PLA has been sharing its experiences. Mark Towens also spoke about the strategy at the National Water Safety Conference in November. “We are also working with the Samaritans on their ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ campaign and looking to introduce this on the river,” he says. “Network Rail ran a campaign which encouraged people to go and intervene if something doesn’t look right, to prevent people jumping in front of a train – we want to get that same message across.”
Passenger Transport Study A key goal of the Thames Vision is to increase the number of passengers travelling by river, but that has proved to be a challenge. “It seems that passenger numbers have stalled at around ten million a year, and we are not really getting beyond that,” says Mark Towens. “Our Board took the view that we need to look into it – do we have the right target, how do we achieve it, and so on.” Arup was commissioned to undertake a Passenger Transport Study to consider the demand and supply sides of the market and ask the question: is 20 million achievable and what needs to be done to get there? “Arup has been drawing on its experience and findings elsewhere – in places including Auckland and Dubai – and doing market analysis of the Thames. This has included speaking to operators and customers. The conclusions and recommendations of this report will inform us of the next steps to capitalise on potential growth,” says Mark Towens. “Preliminary findings are encouraging in that 20 million is achievable, but we have got more work to do.” While Transport for London’s new Pier Strategy is an important step – obviously passengers need to be able board and leave vessels at the right places – the study also considers cost, market segregation and incentives.
Tideway The Thames Tideway Tunnel ‘super sewer’ project continued to progress rapidly in 2019. The bulk of the construction work to enable tunnelling was completed, with tunnelling under way from three shafts and spoil heading out of London by water. “We are now in the phase of maximising the use of the river, with tugs and barges heading up and down river – taking spoil downriver and bringing tunnel ring segments and other items up to the tunnel,” says Mark Towens. “For us, we are in full flow – with traffic management very important.” A ‘smart motorway’ system on the river has proved very successful, with traffic signals at Blackfriars and Vauxhall bridges to help manage increased traffic and restrictions in these busy areas. “This system has been very good in terms of safety and efficient use of the bridge spans and keeping everything moving.”
“The rest of the stadium stands in the way of reaching the new stand from the landside, so the river provided the best access and it is being constructed from the river side.” Mark Towens Harbour Master (upper)
Illuminated River The first phase of the Illuminated River project opened in 2019. Incorporating up to 15 bridges, from Albert Bridge to Tower Bridge, the Illuminated River will stretch 4.5 nautical miles when complete – making it the longest public art commission in the world. The first stretch is from London Bridge to Blackfriars, and work is continuing. Royal Wharf Pier Located above the Thames Barrier on the north shore, Royal Wharf Pier was officially opened in November. This is a new river bus stop for Thames Clippers, and supports the new Royal Wharf housing development. The developer paid for the pier, which will be run by a management company. “Our involvement in this project was about safety on the river – i.e. the structure itself, and the impact of vessels operating in and out of the pier,” says Mark Towens. “We are fully in support of this new pier, which acts like another motorway junction, encouraging traffic on to the river.” Stormzy takes to the stage EE celebrated the launch of its 5G network by live streaming a concert by rapper Stormzy. A month ahead of his Glastonbury appearance, he gave his concert from a boat on the Thames – and this was broadcast via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The PLA assisted in setting up a pontoon stage and overseeing the laser light display.
Half-way there: over half the tunnelling for the Thames Tideway Tunnel has now been completed.
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Navigational Safety
Fulham Football – top score for the Thames Fulham Football Club is building a new riverside stand – which extends over the river. This has thrown up opportunities in terms of using the river to support the work, and challenges in terms of balancing that with other river uses. “What has been really interesting has been the planning and safety issues of very large crane barges and heavy industrial marine traffic, alongside the recreational use of the river at Putney and Fulham – including rowers, kayakers and stand-up paddle boarders,” says Mark Towens. “We did a lot of work on managing the risk of this project and it has been going well so far.” The development has involved demolishing an old stand to make way for building the new one, which stretches over the river by about 10 metres. “The rest of the stadium stands in the way of reaching the new stand from the landside, so the river provided the best access and it is being constructed from the river side. This is an 18-month to two-year building programme and it has been a challenge making it all work.” Demolition materials have been heading out by barge, along with spoil excavated to make way for the new basement sections to be built. Piles have been brought upriver to the site, and a lot of the framework for the new stand will also come in by river.
Upriver or downriver, the Thames provides real choice for cruise ships and their passengers.
If you want iconic views, then being onboard a cruise ship making its way into the heart of London will surely fit the bill. The Central London Cruise Moorings (CLCM) provide a unique base for cruise ships, whether calling in for a one-day visit or mooring for a complete turnround at the start and finish of their itineraries. But wait – that isn’t the only option. Downriver, the Port of Tilbury’s London International Cruise Terminal also provides easy access to London, and this option comes with some familiar views of its own. The 1930s Grade II listed cruise terminal is famous in its own right, having been the departure point for thousands of Britons emigrating to Australia and the Commonwealth before the arrival of affordable air travel. You might also recognise the terminal and its unique floating landing stage from somewhere else – they have been used many times over the years as a backdrop for film and television dramas, recently examples being Paddington and Mr Holmes. Upriver or downriver, the two options provide real choice. For the Central
Left: Hurtigruten’s MS Fridtjof Nansen debuting her revolutionary battery hybrid powered propulsion system on a maiden Thames call early in 2020.
London Cruise Moorings, vessels up to a maximum length of 229 metres can make their way through the Thames Barrier to moor at Greenwich Ship Tier, next to the Cutty Sark. Further upstream, Tower Bridge Upper accommodates vessels up to 150 metres in length, alongside HMS Belfast, and George’s Stair Tier provides another choice. Tilbury’s, meanwhile, is the closest deepwater port giving access to the capital – and also the closest port to all of the main airports. And passengers still have the opportunity to head into central London by river, carried on a Thames Clipper fast ferry. Central London or Tilbury – since 2018, both options have been brought under one umbrella, with a single point of contact and the benefit of expertise and knowhow going back decades. After going out to tender, the PLA awarded the management of the Central London Cruise Moorings to a joint venture between the Port of Tilbury (part of Forth Ports) and Thames Clippers. The two partners have responsibility for the smooth day-to-day operations of the three moorings in central London, and there are obvious synergies with operations at Tilbury. “When this opportunity came up, we had already been talking to Forth Ports about expanding the transfer of cruise ship passengers from Tilbury to Central London,” says Sean Collins, CEO of Thames Clippers. “It was an obvious
partnership – we had already demonstrated we can work together, and the skill sets of both sides complement each other, to deliver a very special offering for the customers, i.e. passengers. “When the PLA put the tender out, it was a perfect opportunity for us to promote London at both locations, and to transport passengers directly to the tourist destinations of their choice. It was clear that between us we were able to provide a real turnkey service for cruise ship facilitation, ship-to-ship transfer, security, and luggage transfer.” Feedback from cruise ship companies, agents and passengers has been very positive, he says. “We can expect that success to attract more customers and calls. However, with cruise it does take nearly three years to start to see the results of your work, because cruise lines plan their itineraries well in advance.” The year 2021 will therefore be a real measure of the partnership’s success.
Central London or Tilbury - since 2018, both options have been brought under one umbrella, with a single point of contact and the benefit of expertise and knowhow going back decades Port of London Handbook 67
Cruise
London: a cruise destination like no other
The number of cruise passengers passing through Tilbury and Central London increased from 140,000 in 2018 to more than 170,000 in 2019
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“And we are beginning to see those bookings coming in,” he says. “It is really encouraging. We had a record number of calls in 2019 and bookings for 2021 are far exceeding that.” The number of cruise passengers passing through Tilbury and Central London increased from 140,000 in 2018 to more than 170,000 in 2019, says Port of Tilbury senior development manager Steve Lyons. “In 2020 we had expected close to 200,000 passengers but that was before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred. Next year is looking really good and 2022 is looking even better.” “This has been an excellent partnership between Tilbury and Thames Clippers.
We work very well together. We can offer transfers direct from the ship in Tilbury into the heart of London via Thames Clipper – that is a journey of 25 minutes to Greenwich, a fantastic World Heritage Site, or 55 minutes to the Tower of London. It’s an amazing journey upriver in its own right and also reduces road journeys. “In addition, Tilbury station is right next door to the terminal, and thousands of passengers every year take a train straight into London.” From a turnaround point of view, Greenwich Ship Tier, next to the Cutty Sark, is a wonderful place to join a ship, he points out. The partners work together to deliver an impressive service in challenging conditions – transfers in the middle of a river are not exactly straightforward. “We have streamlined processes. For example, passengers board at Greenwich
Silver Spirit moored at Greenwich Ship Tier.
or at the Tower, but we put the luggage into vans and take it to Greenland Pier for more efficient loading by Thames Clipper from there.” One of the first vessels handled by the new partnership was a Viking ship reaching the end of a round-the-world cruise, says Sean Collins. That meant unloading more than 3,000 pieces of baggage before 5.00am, so that about 1,000 passengers could disembark at 5.30am. On the same day, new baggage had to be loaded, and more passengers embarked for the start of a new cruise. Tower Bridge Upper mooring sees mainly day calls; the advantages are obvious of coming straight into central London, with all the key tourist attractions close by. Thames Clippers provides direct transfers by water to a number of sites, with the London Eye being particularly in demand.
Venus Clipper In February 2019, Thames Clippers’ newest and largest-ever vessel entered service. The 19th vessel in the company’s fleet of fast ferries, the £3.8 million Venus Clipper was built at the Wight Shipyard on the Isle of Wight. It has a capacity of 222 passengers, with 50 more seats than its sister vessels Mercury Clipper and Jupiter Clipper, which joined the fleet in 2017. “The Venus Clipper is mainly used for charter and cruise business work,” says Sean Collins. “Business has been very successful in the past year and if this continues, we will definitely be looking to bring in additional vessels, for regular services and to support charter and cruise vessel requirements.” Thames Clippers’ regular passenger routes call at more than 20 piers across London, from Putney in the west to Woolwich in the east – including the Royal Wharf Pier, which was officially opened in November 2019.
London welcomes new and established cruise callers Cruise and Maritime Voyages is the largest user of London Cruise Terminal at Tilbury. Regular callers are the Columbus and the Megellan, and the terminal also sees a few calls by the everpopular Marco Polo. Other regulars include NCL and Viking. In 2021 CMV is introducing two additional ships to its fleet and one of these will be deployed from Tilbury, a decision that will boost numbers once again. Tilbury cruise departures are mainly for round-Britain, Nordic, Baltic and near-continent itineraries, but the terminal also handles round-the-world cruises departing at the start of the year, and some Mediterranean cruises. In what can be a very seasonal business, December is actually one of the terminal’s busiest months, with 20,000 passengers passing through in the last month of 2019. That’s due to the popularity of overnight events and mini cruises, including those heading to Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam to take in the Christmas markets. In 2020, Tilbury will welcome its first call from the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Steve Lyons says that smaller cruise vessels are increasingly in demand and many new expedition ships are being launched. “These expedition ships take around 200 to 250 passengers and can get into smaller, niche ports – indeed, places like the Tower, which involves going under the lifted Tower Bridge. Overall, both Central London and Tilbury are attracting more and more attention from many high-profile cruise operators. The fact that we can sell the whole river gives us tremendous flexibility – we offer an extended season, because we are able to guarantee a berth at Tilbury throughout the year.”
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Often the work of the PLA’s marine operations teams goes on unnoticed behind the scenes – but it’s crucial to the safety and environmental protection of the river.
The hidden extras and essentials
Another day, another supermarket trolley. Well, 70 trolleys, to be exact. On one day in July 2019, the crew of Driftwood III, one of the PLA’s boats which clears trees and driftwood along the tidal Thames, picked up a very different haul. The supermarket trolleys were recovered near Thamesmead, in South London, during work to clear litter from the foreshore. “We work very hard to clear rubbish from the river, but this incredible find in one pocket of the tidal Thames shows what a mammoth task it is,” said Michael Russell, PLA marine manager afloat said. “Throwing trolleys into the river is simply reckless – the tide goes out and they get stuck on the foreshore. Dumping huge objects like this threatens wildlife habitats and could causes environmental damage. They also look dreadful and, more importantly, could become be a hazard to the thousands of ships navigating the Thames every year.” Every year the PLA pulls up to 300 tonnes of rubbish from the river, including plastic bottles, traffic cones, bicycles and
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even cars. Most of this is collected by floating passive debris collectors, which are stationary devices located along the tidal Thames. The Driftwood II and Driftwood III are also constantly in action. “What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” the saying goes. As the supermarket trolley story illustrates, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, a great deal of the work done by the PLA’s marine operations teams goes on unnoticed behind the scenes – but is absolutely crucial to the safety, security and environmental protection of the river. These ‘invisible’ services include monitoring, maintaining, repairing, installing and replacing tide gauges, radars, communication links, moorings, jetties, steps and stairs, 44 navigational buoys, 19 light beacons and a lighthouse. They include running Denton Wharf with its boat lift, operating a fleet of 40 assorted workboats and launches, and providing diving and hydrographic expertise to check underwater structures and support projects on piers, jetties and quaysides. “A great deal of our work goes on unseen and unnoticed,” says Peter Steen, the PLA’s director of marine operations. “But our divers, workboat crews, maintenance teams and many other experts provide the rock solid foundations for the PLA’s operations along the tidal Thames.”
The Leader leads the way In October 2019, the PLA’s new hybrid pilot cutter arrived on the River Thames. Believed to be the first hybrid pilot cutter in Europe, the 13.6 metre Leader was built by Goodchild Marine at Great Yarmouth. It will transport pilots boarding and landing at Gravesend Reach, and also provide for cross-river transfers. The Leader will plug in at Royal Terrace Pier, where new charging points were specially installed. In replacing the older Patrol, the new vessel is expected to help reduce the PLA’s carbon emissions by up to 10%. “After carrying out familiarisation training and learning how to safely operate the vessel, it entered service at the end of November,” says Peter Steen. “It will make a big difference to our fuel consumption and emissions – and it is the first vessel of the PLA’s future green fleet. Alongside this, we are carrying out trials of green diesel on one of our harbour service launches, as we ramp up our efforts to reduce or even eliminate our greenhouse gas emissions.”
Right: A job well done: 70 dumped shopping trolleys recovered from the Thames near Thamesmead, in a single day.
Marine Services
London River House, the PLA’s main office building in Gravesend, is undergoing transformation to provide refurbished, modern and more environmentally friendly work spaces
Smarter office, smarter working London River House, the PLA’s main office building at Gravesend, is undergoing a transformation – which will provide refurbished, modern and more environmentally friendly work spaces, with new meeting rooms and a staff welfare area incorporated. The £3 million refurbishment started in 2019 and is due to be completed by the end of June 2020. “London River House is about 25 years old and while the structure itself is fine, the mechanical and electrical infrastructure was reaching the end of its life,” says Peter Steen. “The work will deliver much more efficient heating and
lighting – with a large solar array on the roof which will provide 16% of the electricity for the building at peak usage.” The refurbishment will make the building’s public areas more accessible and open the view to the river for visitors when they arrive. In terms of efficiency, the refurbishment will deliver better digital connections, and enable more adaptable and flexible working. Sitting/standing desks will be installed and ‘smarter working’ will include breaking down barriers between departments. This has been a huge project to coordinate and oversee and unsurprisingly it has involved some upheaval in the shortterm. Some teams have moved to work at the Denton Wharf offices, while others
have moved to the PLA’s offices in central London. That has meant preparing temporary offices before people could relocate. At the same time, there has been a big ‘dump the junk’ campaign. “We are trying to encourage everyone to get rid of stuff – and we have already sent eight tonnes of paper for recycling within a two-month period,” says Peter Steen. “Old metal cabinets have gone for recycling or repurposing. We are trying to be as green as possible in this refurbishment.”
Richmond Lock and Weir Richmond Lock and Weir, a Grade II listed structure, was refurbished and repainted for its centenary – but that was 25 years ago, so in 2019 it was time for another upgrade. “Every year we have a large planned maintenance schedule to complete and in 2019 this project was top priority,” says Peter Steen. “As it is a listed structure, any repair work must blend in with the original and, when it is painted, the colours must be matched identically to the original.” The work also included refurbishing the lock island huts which house the machinery, he explains. Their bases are wooden – and because they flood on occasions, they can obviously rot. “We have taken the opportunity to improve the resilience of the buildings to occasional flooding.”
The footbridge of Richmond Lock and Weir re-opened in 2020 after a six-month, £500,000 re-paint and renovation.
Marine Services
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Marine Services
New upriver team A new upriver maintenance team has been created to focus on repairing the river walls and revetments which protect the riverbank on PLA land between Kew and Putney. Working as part of the PLA’s civil engineering department, the new team will start work after a period of induction and training. As well as working on the river walls and revetments, the team will be responsible for the repair of revetment steps and low-level vegetation management. “Despite ad hoc repairs over the years, the river walls and revetments along that stretch of the tidal Thames have continued to degrade and the recruitment of a designated team to get the revetments back into prime condition was much needed,” says PLA civil engineer Derek Maynard. “This is an important ongoing and focused programme of work to protect the integrity of the towpath and flood defences behind the revetment in areas of west London.”
Measuring, optimising, investing n Denton Wharf: one of the bays in the South Shed is being converted into a boat repair facility. This £250,000 investment will allow boat repairs to be carried out under cover, including painting of vessels in the winter months. “We have a fleet of 40 vessels in the PLA fleet and this will save us time on refits,” says Peter Steen. n Optimising routes: the PLA holds an extensive amount of information on the estuary. The marine operations team has been using this, together with hydrographic data and additional sampling, to investigate optimising routes into the port for shipping. n Engine monitoring: after starting with its major vessels, the PLA is now installing engine monitoring systems across the fleet. The collection and analysis of data on fuel consumption, speed, hours of use and other factors, enables the PLA to optimise the use and maintenance of its fleet.
Marine engineering keep the PLA fleet of vessels operational 24/7.
Port of London Handbook 75
The PLA has the busiest hydrographic department in the UK, with access to a huge range of high-tech equipment.
Hydrographic: the enablers Eyes on what lies beneath: PLA hydrographic surveyor, Jed Green.
Where would we be without the work of the PLA’s hydrographic team? Put simply, this is the team whose work enables others to do their work: n Gathering the data to create navigational charts so that ships can enter and leave the port safely; n Providing the information that others need in order to draw up mooring designs and plan their maintenance; n Surveying the channel to highlight areas that need dredging; n Locating obstacles under the water so that divers can retrieve them; n Carrying out seismic survey work to support projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing. The PLA has the busiest hydrographic department in the UK, employing a total of 17 people including eight qualified surveyors, operating three dedicated survey craft, and with access to a huge range of high-tech equipment. The team plays a key role in the PLA’s duties as statutory conservancy authority for the Thames. Alex Mortley, PLA conservancy manager, says: “Conservancy is about improvement of the port. It isn’t just ‘conservation’ – it is about
photographs…surveying has come a long way from the days of taking a thin rope with a piece of lead on the end and casting it overboard. The team has access to an increasingly high-tech choice of equipment, to provide geophysical, geotechnical and highresolution echo sounder (MBES) surveying, side-scan sonar and LIDAR surveying, 3DChirp imaging, highresolution photography and underwater photography and video. It regularly assists clients with ultra-high resolution seismic (UHRS) surveys; these provide detail of the ground structure down to 100 metres below the river bed, allowing analysis of the geology in order to support feasibility studies and designs for marine structures, river crossings or other projects. The PLA hydrographic team is also authorised to produce digital navigational charts in-house for sending to the UK Hydrographic Office, for direct incorporation into the UK national charting portfolio. The whole of the river has benefited from surveying by high-resolution echo sounder (MBES) technology in recent years – and advancing technology will help the team make new decisions on the way forward. “We don’t want to spend a
Hydrographic
handing it on to the next generation in a better condition than when we took it on.” In the early days of the Port of London Authority, hydrographic work was focused entirely on dredging channels and improving access. Today the scope of work has increased exponentially, and the hydrographic department takes on a significant amount of commercial work as well as statutory work. But first and foremost, the hydrographic team is responsible for surveying the 400 square miles of the tidal Thames and estuary, to ensure that vessels can navigate their way to and from their berths safely without the risk of hitting an unexpected sandbank or other obstruction. The team’s expertise is critical to shipping; across those 400 square miles, the river and seabed, water depths, tidal heights and tidal flows must all be accurately measured, analysed and predicted. Information must be fed through to ensure any necessary action is taken – by divers or dredgers, for example. To meet those requirements, the hydrographic team surveys the entire river, bank to bank, on a rolling programme over five to 15 years, depending on the characteristics of a particular area. From plumbing the depths…to ‘seeing’ 100 metres underground… to gathering ultra-high resolution
Above: Navigational essential: hydrographic map of the estuary.
should be in. While it isn’t necessarily the PLA’s responsibility to provide them, we do have the capability to capture that data and make it available to the responsible people. Capturing this information requires looking at the river from all angles – something we were able to do. In this way, something relatively simple can have a very high impact.” In parallel, the hydrographic department is working ever more closely with other teams in the rest of the PLA’s Marine Services department – combining surveying expertise with the river fleet and practical experience of colleagues to plan solutions together. “We want to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’. The PLA are the experts on the river – but customers don’t want to deal with five different parts of the organisation. “We work to squeeze every drop of data we get out of what we do – enabling our team and our clients to spend less time out in the river. We are listening to the customers and delivering exactly what they need.” The hydrographic team’s work is split 50/50 between statutory port marine and navigational safety work, and survey work for the commercial sector, including projects for terminal and jetty operators and others, covering geophysical, geotechnical, asset management and MBES surveying. In recent times, the work has ranged from an intake study for a nuclear power station to a bathymetric survey for a cargo jetty carried out by drone.
Here today, moved tomorrow? As the PLA has focused on updating its legislation, an exercise which involves a new Harbour Revision Order, so the hydrographic team has played its part. A great deal of the original legislation in 1909, as well as updates along the way, were based on landmarks and bearings from those landmarks. “Now you might look for that landmark and actually it’s no longer there – it’s fallen into the water or been eroded away,” says Alex Mortley. “We have been involved in refreshing the Act so people don’t have to go back through all the history to work out how we have arrived where we are today. Because with modern GPS, we can say – these are the boundaries.” Amongst other work, the hydrographic department has been: n Assisting with the refurbishment of Richmond Lock and Weir, supporting divers by locating obstacles under the water and also creating a clear set of data on water levels. n Continuing to provide surveying and other services for the Tideway project. n Using vessels’ real time AIS information to paint a more precise picture of channel use and vessels’ passage.
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Hydrographic
lot of time surveying areas that we know won’t change. So we are taking a more analytical, informed approach,” says Alex Mortley. “We will focus more on the survey areas that do change. We can decide when we send a boat and what equipment we send.” Where else do we go from here? The team is about to embark on a survey of customers and potential customers, asking the key question – what else can we do for you? “We are looking for feedback – hydrographic can be taken for granted,” says Alex Mortley. “Technology has the potential to change the way we work and also the way our customers work. If we were to take one route and they took another, might we end up diverging? We need to ensure we have common interests, move closer in the way we are working and find out what else we can do together. “For example, we are constantly collecting a lot of data, some of it as a ‘by-product’ of day-to-day work. Are other stakeholders interested in this? The big challenge is structuring that data and managing it. It is analytics that give it value.” A simple example involved life rings along the river. “No one knew quite how many there were or what state they
Tilbury2, built on 152 acres of former Tilbury Power Station land, will be the UK’s largest unaccompanied ro-ro freight ferry port.
Tilbury… and there’s more
Award-winning, record-breaking and rapidly expanding: the Port of Tilbury ticked all the boxes in 2019. But that was just the start. For this multi-talented, flexible port, 2020 will be a real game-changer. For a real example of fast-tracking, look no further than Tilbury2. This massive expansion of the Port of Tilbury received development consent from the Secretary of State for Transport in February 2019. Having carried out extensive ecology site clearance work and ground preparation, Forth Ports Group, which owns the Port of Tilbury, was ready to press the button. Construction work began within a few weeks. In May 2020, the first P&O ferries will call at the newly built riverside ro-ro terminal. Later in the year, on the northern
part of the site, Tarmac will start work at a new state-of-the-art construction materials aggregate terminal (CMAT). Tilbury2 will be the UK’s largest unaccompanied ro-ro freight ferry port and will play a vital role in providing additional capacity after Brexit. P&O will operate services to both Calais and Zeebrugge – efficiency will be underpinned by a new linkspan bridge built into the river, with a pontoon able to handle two larger ferries at once. The terminal will provide 50 acres for trailers and containers. Tilbury2 will provide the country’s largest construction materials processing hub – to be managed by Tarmac, it will include a new railhead which can accommodate the longest freight trains of 775 metres. Rail will also be an important option for trailers and containers heading to and from the ro-ro terminal. Tilbury2, built on 152 acres of former Tilbury Power Station land, will operate as a satellite of the established port. Its
development has also encompassed roundabout and road upgrades, investment in footpaths, cycleways and the historic Tilbury Fort, and contributions towards the Tilbury-Gravesend foot ferry and heritage projects in Gravesend. On top of that, there has been really significant environmental and wildlife mitigation work, an area in which Tilbury has previously demonstrated its commitment. For example, a nine-acre water vole park has been built and a badger sett is being provided on the Tilbury2 site. Immediately after Forth Ports’ application for a development consent order (DCO) was granted, the construction
Computer generated image of ‘game changing’ development, Tilbury2, set to become operational from Spring 2020.
Port of Tilbury
group Graham was appointed for the Tilbury2 project. “We made very good progress on construction through 2019,” says Port of Tilbury commercial director Peter Ward. “We are on target to open the ro-ro terminal in April and the CMAT in quarter three. The project represents total investment of £250 million, including acquisition of the site. This is 100 per cent funded by Forth Ports – it’s a huge level of investment being made to create new capacity for London, the South East and the whole of the UK, and we are receiving a lot of interest, supporting our expansion.” In November, the Port of Tilbury won the inaugural National Infrastructure Planning
Association (NIPA) award for ‘Best Project’ for Tilbury2. The award recognised best practice in the DCO process for a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). This was a great reward for hard work and determination to deliver best practice and to engage with all stakeholders, says Peter Ward.
Construction, construction, construction Where better to have a hub for construction materials than Tilbury – easily accessible for bringing in raw materials and perfectly located to feed aggregates and other materials direct into London – sustainably, via river and rail. Tarmac and the Port of Tilbury have been working together to develop the new CMAT. Deep water will allow ships of up to 100,000 tonnes to be handled. The terminal will provide for aggregate processing and manufacturing, including an asphalt and ready-mix concrete plant. “We are proud to be providing the UK’s largest construction materials hub,” says Peter Ward. “We are looking to expand
M25 7 miles A1089 (A13) Tilbury Green Power
Travis Perkins London Distribution Park
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London Container Terminal
24 18
Car Terminal
Industrial Estate
Ro-Ro Berth
82 Port of London Handbook
the operation to tie in with a wharf in central London; this ties in with our strategy and the way we position ourselves with construction materials handling and use of the river.” Tilbury has been crucial in supporting projects such as Tideway and the Battersea Power Station development and is very well located to support future major infrastructure projects such as the Silvertown Tunnel and Lower Thames Crossing, he adds. “We provide the opportunity to consolidate materials in Tilbury and move them by rail or barge into London, in bulk and as specialised cargo. “Our role as a construction hub has gone from strength to strength. Modular and preassembled items are becoming more popular in the construction industry. Many of these are being sourced outside the UK – they can be delivered to Tilbury
by sea, and then moved from here into central London by river.” The Port of Tilbury offers a range of in-dock services provided by the bulk terminal, Cemex cement plant and several specialised facilities supporting construction consolidation of bricks, timber and steel. An important ‘added extra’ of Tilbury2 comes in the form of training. Graham, which was awarded the contract for both marine and terrestrial work at the site, has set up a construction training hub as part of its CSR commitments. Created in partnership with the South Essex Construction Training Academy (SECTA) for the CITB Construction Skills Fund project, the hub was opened in June 2019. It allows those learning to have first-hand experience and training on a live construction site.
The Port of Tilbury is multipurpose and multitalented, handling containers and ro-ro freight, paper and forest products, grain, animal feed, automotive, construction materials, food and drink and a wide range of recyclables
The Port of Tilbury facilities map Port of Tilbury
Tilbury 2
Fortress Distribution Park
Unit 1 Fort London Cruise Terminal
Port of London Handbook 83
Tilbury: a mega hub Tilbury2 is, of course, only part of the mix. The project is central to the Port of Tilbury’s £1 billion investment programme for 2012-2020, which has seen numerous new facilities and business streams become established. As a result: n Tilbury has doubled the size of its business over the past decade. n Tilbury is projected to double cargo volumes from 16 million to 32 million tonnes over the next 10-15 years. n Tilbury has nearly met its direct employment target of 12,000 jobs within the investment window of 2012 to 2020. The Port of Tilbury is multipurpose and multitalented, handling containers and ro-ro freight, paper and forest products, grain, animal feed, automotive, construction materials, food and drink, and a wide range of recyclables. Tilbury’s role as a hub for food and drink continues to develop. NFT’s facility,
84 Port of London Handbook
recently built by Forth Ports, is one of the largest on-dock chill stores in Europe. London City Bond’s warehouse provides bonded warehousing and distribution of wine and beer for supermarkets, retailers, hotels, restaurants. London Coldstore, stores a range of frozen foods for the supermarkets, retail and catering sectors. Howard Tenens recently expanded its warehousing footprint to handle more private, bespoke services to the beverage market. Meanwhile, Nippon Gases is a new customer, importing carbon dioxide for use in beer pumps, abattoirs, refilling refrigerated transport units, producing carbonated drinks and beer, and creating the bubbles that go into crumpets.
Expert paperwork Tilbury is the UK’s leading port for handling paper and forest products. Its diverse portfolio includes newsprint, magazine print, packaging materials (including food and drink packaging) and palletised fine papers. The port’s purpose-built facilities for paper and forest products cover more than 50 acres and have the capacity to handle more than 1 million tonnes a year. This includes automated highbay warehousing with 29,000 storage bays, 930,000 sq ft of combined manual warehousing,130,000 sq ft of undercover canopy areas and 230 HGV parking bays. Lo-lo and ro-ro berths are situated right next to the terminals, providing for short ship-to-shed distances. The port handles services from Sweden, Finland, Germany and Belgium and is able to service all forest products shipment modes, including lo-lo, ro-ro, sto-ro, sideport, containers and trailers. “Our forest product operations are consistently ranked amongst the best in
Port of Tilbury
the world by independent customer audits,” says Peter Ward. “Shippers benefit from our specialist, expert teams and bespoke handling equipment.” Optional added extras include customs clearance administration, the option to defer import duty and VAT until goods leave the port, and onsite services such as rewrapping, labelling, relabelling, resizing and palletising. In 2019, London Paper Terminal (formerly the Finnish Terminal) celebrated its 20th anniversary. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the automated Enterprise Distribution Centre (EDC).
London Container Terminal Tilbury’s London Container Terminal (LCT) handles both shortsea and deepsea services and is one of the UK’s largest container terminals. New services have been welcomed in the form of Containerships’ service to the Baltic region, and a joint Samskip/Xpress service to Portugal. Rail links to the terminal have continued to increase, with options to move containers to and from the Midlands and Scotland. The weekly link between Tilbury and Forth Ports’ Grangemouth port is providing interesting opportunities to move Scottish whisky exports via new routes to new markets, as well as moving northbound European manufactured goods. Investment has continued at LCT: new, ‘greener’ straddle carriers arrived in mid-2019 as part of an ongoing fleet replacement, and the terminal’s vehicle booking system (VBS) was upgraded to provide a detailed container status page for both deepsea and shortsea boxes, allowing customers to get real-time status of their container via the Forth Ports website.
Deepsea ro-ro Tilbury is also an important hub for deepsea ro-ro services, with regular service calls by Grimaldi connecting to South America and West Africa, by Bahri Shipping connecting to the Middle East, India, the US and Canada, and by Hyundai’s state-of-the-art car carriers, which call at a dedicated riverside berth linked to a secure vehicle storage and handling centre. The river berth can accommodate post-panamax vessels with beam exceeding 35 metres. In dock, the port regularly handles combi-ships and heavy lift vessels, providing facilities for the loading/ unloading of second-hand vehicles and wheeled, tracked and agricultural plant and other machinery.
Above: New straddle carriers arrive at the Port of Tilbury as part of a £20 million investment programme at London Container Terminal.
Port of London Handbook 85
A multi-million-pound glass sorting plant opened at the port by URM Glass three years ago takes in glass from recycling centres across London and the South East
Recycling centre Glass…Tilbury is the UK’s top port for handling recyclables, including glass, woodchip, metal and RDF (general waste). A multi-million-pound glass sorting plant opened at the port by URM Glass three years ago takes in glass from materials recycling centres across London and the South East – including bottle bank glass, windscreen and industrial glasses, and pre-process and post-process glass. The glass is sorted into colours and crushed in a high-tech process; some is by sea, but most is loaded to trains by Port of Tilbury stevedores and transported to Cheshire, to one of the largest glass manufacturing facilities in Europe. The bulk rail terminal built by the port for this project and others has a direct connection to the national rail network,
enables side-loading rates of 300 tonnes per hour and also handles aggregates for FM Conway. Open to any train operator to provide UK-wide rail-based solutions, this facility is perfectly positioned to support a range of infrastructure and construction projects, with onward distribution by rail of aggregate materials. Wood…Tilbury Green Power uses about 270,000 tonnes a year of waste wood sourced from the region to produce up to 319,000 MW of renewable electricity a year, enough to meet the demand of about 97,000 homes. Plans for phase two of TGP, a 20 MW power plant which will burn baled waste brought to the port, are progressing. Metal…Tilbury also handles very large volumes of scrap metal via EMR. Almost 1 million tonnes a year is exported via deepsea vessels, mainly to the Turkish market.
Skills and training The Port of Tilbury is a trailblazer in terms of skills, training and recruitment. As part of the Forth Ports Group, the focus is on learning and skills development at every level, from operational and graduate level apprenticeships to the unique Attention to Logistics retraining programme aimed at former service men and women. Its bespoke Academy at the Port of Tilbury provides corporate and local inductions, compliance and health & safety training, technical and professional skills training, and management and leadership development programmes. “We work with local colleges, universities, training suppliers and professional bodies to develop skills programmes that are aligned to accredited standards and
industry requirements,” says learning and development manager Simon Harper. The Academy’s technology suite, situated in the old railway station building at London International Cruise Terminal, houses two state-of-the-art simulators that are used to reskill or upskill veterans into work through the Tilbury on the Thames Trust, and to develop in-house plant operation skills. The Vortex Simulator is a 13-screen, 270-degree-view full motion simulator that includes ship-to-shore and straddle carrier training packs, providing trainees with valuable experience that prepares them for operating in the real terminal environment.
Many happy grain returns Tilbury Grain Terminal celebrated its half-century in 2019 – and still has room to grow. Already the UK’s largest grain import/export facility, the terminal’s storage capacity has increased by 16,000 tonnes to 136,000 tonnes, thanks to the new automatic fill flat store extension. In its first 50 years since opening in 1969, the grain terminal processed more than 35 million tonnes of product. Equipped with more than 200 silos ranging from 60 to 2,000 tonnes, and handling deepsea and coastal vessels, it has the capacity to handle two million tonnes a year of grains, including wheat, barley and beans. With two grain towers, it can discharge and load vessels simultaneously; it is fully automated and linked to two flour mills located in the port.
New automatic flat fill store is the latest addition to Tilbury’s grain operations, already the UK’s largest for grain import/export operations.
Port of London Handbook 87
DP World London Gateway is moving forward with its plans for Berth 4.
Containers, construction, connections, customers, community
DP World London Gateway welcomed new services, new customers, new facilities and a new CEO Ernst Schulz in 2019. The deepwater container terminal and logistics park also scooped some prestigious industry awards and continued to focus on sustainability and the support of the local community. In short, the UK’s newest and fastest-growing port and logistics park has continued to go from strength to strength – and further expansion is clearly on the horizon. Opened in 2013 on the redeveloped site of the former Shell Haven oil refinery, DP World London Gateway has a total of 1.25 kms of quayside at present, providing three berths capable of handling the largest container ships in the world. In 2019, the number of containers handled at the port rose again, by more than nine per cent. Berth 4 seems certain to become reality soon. “We have been carrying out our preliminary designs and we have gone out to tender for works relating to Berth 4,” says Nick Loader, DP World’s chief operating officer in the UK. “The tender has a number of different parts to it – major civil construction contracts, cranes
crane stacks and want to take the majority of these out and stack them in the empty park,” says Nick Loader. “This gives a bit more capacity next to Berth 3 and will be ideally placed midway when we have all six berths up and running.” Award-winning performance Where to begin? DP World London Gateway won a series of industry awards in 2019, recognising the port’s commitment to innovation, efficiency and sustainability. June: DP World won the Port Operator of the Year award for both its London Gateway and Southampton terminals, at the FTA Multimodal Awards. DP World London Gateway won the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain (AFLAS) award for best container terminal in Europe at a ceremony in Hong Kong. September: DP World London Gateway was named the winner of the Supply Chain Engagement and Carbon Reduction categories at The Planet Mark’s national awards. The Planet Mark’s report highlighted that DP World London Gateway Port had reduced its carbon emissions by 24.9 per cent per TEU from 2017 to 2018. Carbon reductions of 18 per cent were also achieved during construction on the DP World London Gateway welcomed six new shipping services during 2019.
DP World London Gateway
and other terminal handling equipment. We are putting ourselves into position so that as soon as there is sufficient customer demand, we will be ready to go ahead. We will have gone through the processes and have our plans prepared – the new berth would be built in less than two years from pressing the button.” The new berth, continuing the quayline from Berths 1-3, will be built with a substantial amount of back-up land for container stacking and movement. DP World London Gateway is designed ultimately to provide a maximum six berths along 2,700 metres of quay, providing annual capacity of 3.5 million TEU. During 2019, DP World London Gateway welcomed six new shipping services – and the list once again demonstrates the geographical spread of the port’s connections: MSC’s Baltic Loop 11, Hapag Lloyd/Streamlines’ Caribbean Express, Maersk/Hambug Sud’s Chile Express, CMA CGM’s North West Europe/Morocco service, Hapag Lloyd/COSCO/ONE/Yang Ming’s East India and North Europe Express, and finally CMA CGM/Maersk/Marfret’s North Europe French West Indies Service. Among the key developments in 2019, work began on a new empty container park. Due to open in the second quarter 2020, it will add the equivalent of 200,000 TEU annual capacity to the port. “We have been handling more empty containers in the automatic stacking
The Planet Mark’s report highlighted that DP World London Gateway Port had reduced its carbon emissions by 24.9 per cent per TEU from 2017 to 2018
Above: Award winners: London Gateway won the Asian Freight, Logistics and Supply Chain prize for best container terminal in Europe.
90 Port of London Handbook
logistics park of CEVA Logistics’ multi-temperature warehouse – equating to 2,561 tonnes of carbon dioxide. As a result, both facilities received The Planet Mark accreditation, acknowledging commitment to continuous improvement in sustainability – a clear indication to businesses using the port and logistics park that their supply chains are more environmentally friendly. November: At the Lloyd’s Loading List Global Freight Awards, DP World’s two UK terminals (London and Southampton) won the Port Operator of the Year award for the second year running. “We were delighted to win these awards, which reflect our commitment to customer service and the environment,” says Nick Loader. “We have successfully stepped up our productivity; customer service continues to improve and we continue to recruit and train more people. London Gateway is on an upward curve in terms of productivity and customer service. “Our key customers are shipping lines on the water side and hauliers and rail
operators on the land side. We understand that for shipping, time is money – the longer a ship has to stay in port, the more time and money is wasted. So a key statistic for them is how quickly we turn the ship around. It is also a key statistic for us – because we have a lot of services at London Gateway and we want to get ships in and out as quickly as possible in order to free up berths for the next callers.” Logistics Park At DP World London Gateway, the port is completely integrated with the logistics park. Both were built on a brownfield site that allowed for clever and efficient layout, matched by the ideal choice of equipment and with smooth flows by road and rail links. The 9.25 million sq ft logistics park offers fast-track planning processes and unrivalled opportunities for integrated, market-centric supply chains – and new arrivals in 2019 clearly underlined how important that is for retail and logistics operators. March: European furniture brand MADE.COM signed the lease for a new 165,000 sq ft distribution centre at the
DP World London Gateway
logistics park. Most of its products are imported from Asia, so there is an ideal opportunity to shunt these across from quay to warehouse, eliminating truck miles. Orders are sent direct from the warehouse to the consumer. April: DP World London Gateway handed CMA CGM Group the keys to its new 107,000 sq ft multi-temperature warehouse. Construction of the facility included driving more than 1,400 piles into the ground, pouring 5,000 cubic metres of concrete and using more than 1 km of steelwork to create the 12.5-metre-high frame. CEVA Logistics, which has a long-term lease on a build-to-suit development, THE CHILL HUB, completed enhancements of the building which included the fit-out of state-of-the-art temperature control equipment before opening for operations in the summer. Providing a range of chilled and frozen chambers, the building is based on best-in-class technology, IT traceability and management systems. CEVA Logistics provides product quality control, packing, sorting, labelling, palletisation and bagging, as
well as customs clearance, shunting and delivery. June: Work began on LG231, a new 231,000 sq ft warehouse. Work was completed in just seven months and DP World London Gateway has been successfully marketing the facility to new tenants. As well as 218,945 sq ft of warehouse space and 11,970 sq ft of offices, the facility’s yard provides 68 HGV spaces and is laid out for efficient loading. September: Compagnie Fruitière UK, a leading supplier of bananas for the UK market, will open a new ripening centre on the logistics park in 2020. The facility will replace Compagnie Fruitière’s operation in Dartford. November: Ziegler UK Ltd signed a lease on a 95,000 sq ft ambient warehouse. Due to open in April 2020, the facility will act as the company’s London-centric logistics hub, handling imports and exports, and also as its UK headquarters. Once again, DP World London Gateway’s streamlined planning benefits were key. Planning consent was achieved just 24 days after submission, based on a unique Local Development Order covering the logistics park. All buildings on the
logistics park are BREEAM accreditation requirements. Other logistics park occupiers include UPS, Lidl, Halo and Dixons Carphone. “We have had a very successful year, both with new shipping services and with the logistics park continuing to gain momentum,” says Nick Loader. New CEO In September 2019, Ernst Schulze was appointed DP World’s UK chief executive, taking over from Chris Lewis, who has retired after 36 years in the ports industry. The new chief executive oversees both London Gateway and Southampton container operations, as well as the London Gateway logistics park and Community Network Services (CNS), which provides customs clearance and digital logistics services. Ernst Schulze was previously based in Ecuador, where he was heading up the development of DP World Posorja; before that, he was chief executive at Embraport in Santos, Brazil.
Port of London Handbook 91
Terminal Factfiles
Terminal location map 95 Unit loads 97 Forest products 101 Steel and general 103 Liquid bulks 105 Dry bulks 109 Port of Tilbury 124 Advertisers Directory 128 Terminal Factfiles Port of London Handbook 93
The Port of London terminal location map Location Terminals Main commodities handled 1 Smugglers Way Waste 2 Pier Wharf Sand and gravel 3 CEMEX Fulham Aggregates 4 Cringle Dock Waste 5 Walbrook Wharf Waste 6 Brewery Wharf Aggregates 7 Victoria Deep Water Terminal Aggregates, sub-base-type 1 material and bottom furnace ash 8 Northumberland Wharf Waste 9 Thames Wharf Aggregates and recycled materials 10 Dock Entrance Wharf Aggregates 11 Peruvian Wharf Aggregates 12 Angerstein Wharf Aggregates 13 Murphy’s Wharf Aggregates 14 Riverside Wharf Aggregates 15 Thames Refinery Raw Sugar and edible oils 16 Alexanders Wharf Scrap metal 17 Kierbeck Wharf 18 Rippleway Wharf Timber products and general cargoes 19 Docklands Wharf Bulk cargoes 20 Thames Recycling Wharf Recyclate and aggregates 21 CEMEX Dagenham Aggregates 22 Stolthaven Dagenham Petroleum products, lubricants, vegetable and edible oils, chemicals and agricultural products 23 No.1 Western Extension Bulk cargoes - aggregates, salt and coal 24 Van Dalen UK Metal recycling and dry bulk cargoes 25 Hanson Aggregates Marine aggregates and type 1 phosphoric slag 26 Ford Motor Company Motor vehicles and components 27 Belvedere EFW Waste 28 Pioneer Wharf Aggregates 29 ADM Erith Oilseed and vegetable oils 30 Conway Wharf Aggregates 31 European Metal Recycling Scrap metal 32 Esso Petroleum Company Petroleum products 33 C RO Ports London Ltd Motor vehicles, trailers, tanktainers, containers and swapbodies 34 Jurgens Jetty Edible oils 35 Civil and Marine Jetty Granulated slag and marine aggregates 36 Purfleet Aggregates Marine aggregates
Page 113 111
117 113 117 112 109 111 121 121 122 112 118 112 117 111 107 112 123 113 99 121 108 112 112 104 97 106 113 118
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94 Port of London Handbook
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Location Terminals Main commodities handled Page 37 Thurrock Marine Terminal Bulk cement and bulk powders, marine aggregates 121 38 Navigator Terminals UK Ltd Petroleum products, chemicals, vegetable oils and liquid fertilisers 105 39 C RO Ports Dartford Motor vehicles, trailers, tanktainers and containers 97 40 Johnson’s Wharf Marine aggregates 113 41 West Thurrock Jetty Bulk powders 121 42 Inter Terminals UK Ltd Hydrocarbons 105 43 Cemex Northfleet Aggregates 111 44 Seacon Terminals Steel products, non-ferrous metals and forest products 101 45 Robins Wharf Aggregates, coal, petroleum coke and bulk aggregate products 108 46 Brett Aggregates Sea-dredged aggregates 109 47 42 Wharf Bulk cement, bulk powders 121 48 Northfleet Terminal Wood pulp 101 49 Red Lion Wharf Aggregates and sub-base-type 1 material 119 50 Imperial Wharf Bitumen and general cargo 112 51 Clubb’s Marine Terminal Sea-dredged aggregates 117 52 North Sea Terminal Sea-dredged aggregates 109 53 DP World London Gateway Containers 99 54 Shell Haven Terminal Aviation products 106 55 Thames Oilport Aviation products 107 56 Oikos Storage Petroleum products, aviation fuels, chemicals, lubricants, waxes, hard oils and other specialist products 106 57 Calor Gas Terminal LPG 104 58 Port of Tilbury Port of Tilbury London Cefetra CEMEX UK Denholm Logistocs Ltd European Metal Recycling London City Bond Seacon (SG) Ltd Stema Shipping (UK) The Logistics Terminal Tilbury Cold Store Ltd
Forest products, cereals, containers, motor vehicles, general and project cargoes Bulk animal feeds Bulk cement Plywood freight station Scrap metals and bulk cargoes Tax warehousing Forest products and container handling Aggregates and sub-base-type 1 material Warehousing and port centric logistics Chilled and frozen products
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Tilbury2
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M25 London Gateway Port 53
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Port of London Handbook 95
Unit loads C RO Ports London Ltd The C Ro Ports London Ltd ro-ro terminal at Purfleet handles cars and trailers in conventional ro-ro style as well as handling containers by using three rubber tyred gantry cranes and a fleet of reachstackers and other ancillary port equipment. C RO Ports London is part of the CLdN Group. CLdN’s ferry lines operate three daily sailings each way between Purfleet and Zeebrugge and one daily sailing between Purfleet and Rotterdam. Internal changes in fleet utilisation have enabled it to use the largest ships ever deployed on these routes. Annual throughput at the 140-acre site is around 200,000 containers, 200,000 trailers and 200,000 cars. C Ro Ports London invested heavily in replacement pontoon and linkspan infrastructure in 2013. In 2018, the lower berth was replaced to enable the terminal to cater for CLdN’s new largest ships. Additional storage capacity is being delivered under planning
permissions obtained in 2017, allowing the enhancement and optimisation of existing operations, as well as new cargo handling capacity. C RO Ports London is on the north side of the Thames, close to the QEII Bridge and the M25 motorway. Just-in-time operations are becoming more and more important for its customers and the terminal focuses on providing the best vehicle turnround times possible in order to protect delivery schedules. The terminal has 800 trailer bays, along with spaces for 800 container/tank units and 6,000 cars. C RO Ports has announced that as from May 2020 its car deck development will be completed, adding another 8,800 car parking spaces. There are two working berths with one lay-by berth, all dredged to eight metres, an in-house engineering workshop and a transit shed. The terminal is rail linked, with its own sidings accommodating both container and car traffic. An on-site pre-delivery inspection (PDI) and vehicle enhancement centre provides a range of services, including the installation of navigation systems, security system upgrades, racking, painting, body kits and spoilers. Among the manufacturers using Purfleet to transport vehicles are General Motors (Vauxhall and Opel), BMW, Mercedes and Mazda. As part of ongoing EU Exit preparations, in 2019 C RO Ports London acquired full AEO Compliance and Safety & Security accreditation and made a significant investment in systems and resources.
C RO Ports London Ltd Purfleet London Road, Purfleet, Essex RM19 1RP Tel: (01708) 865522 www.cobelfret.com Contacts Joost Rubens, Director Email: Joost.RUBENS@croports.com Tel: (01708) 865522 Barry Day, Terminal Manager Email: barry.day@croports.com Tel: (01708) 865522 Map reference 33 Berths 2 Ro-Ro Berths each 200+ metres long. (Stern ramp onto floating Pontoon). 1 Lay-by berth 175 metres. New build vessels handled on both upper and lower berths. Depth of Water 13.38 metres MHWS (6.8 metres at Chart Datum). Cranes/Capacity 3 x 40-tonne - Rubber tyred gantry cranes (within Terminal). Terminal Equipment 31 Terminal tractors 4 x 45-tonne Reachstackers 2 x 45-tonne Combilift Various Forklifts 1 x 32-tonne 1 x 40-tonne mobile crane attachment for Reachstacker Access Within minutes of the M25 and A13. Two double rail sidings with direct entry to the main Railtrack network. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Fully approved (except Tobacco, Frozen Meat, Fresh Meat, Chilled Meat). Customs office within the terminal open (office hours) Monday through to Saturday (inclusive). Cargo Accommodation 90 acres available for handling/storage of Trailers/Tanktainers/Containers/ Swapbodies and Automobiles. Space on terminal for 800 trailers, 650 containers/tanks and 6,000 cars. Covered transhipment/restow area of 3,000 square metres. 38 Plug-in facilities for temperature controlled cargoes. Automobile enhancement/PDI facility. Fully Computerised Terminal Location system.
C RO Ports Dartford Ltd The C RO Ports Dartford Ltd terminal is on the south side of the Thames and just minutes from the QEII Bridge. The site is 45 acres and has two berths dredged to 11 metres. C RO Ports Dartford Ltd Dartford London Road, Purfleet, Essex RM19 1RP Tel: (01708) 865522 www.cobelfret.com Contact Joost Rubens Email: Joost.RUBENS@croports.com Tel: (01708) 865522 Map reference 39 Berths 2 Deep water Ro-Ro Berths. Length Each berth can take vessels up to 236 metres in length. Depth of Water 17.66 metres MHWS (11.1 metres at Chart Datum).
Unit loads Port of London Handbook 97
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DP World London Gateway Port Ltd No1 London Gateway Stanford-le-Hope, Essex SS17 9DY Tel: (01375) 648300 Email: matt.abbott@dpworld.com www.londongateway.com Contacts Mr Craig Moore, Head of Supply Chain Email: craig.moore@dpworld.com Tel: (01375) 648365 Mr James Leeson, Head of Commercial UK Ports Email: james.leeson@dpworld.com Tel: (01375) 648346 Map reference 53
Ford Motor Company Ltd Dagenham Transport Operations, Dagenham, Essex RM9 6SA Tel: (020) 8526 2710 www.ford.co.uk Contact Mr Kris Moulsdale, Superintendent Rail Jetty Email: kmoulsda@ford.com Tel: (020) 8526 2710 Map reference 26 Berths 1 Ro-Ro berth. Length 241 metres. Depth of Water 11.45 metres MHWS (6.4 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Trailer parks. Car parks. Access Thames Avenue from A13. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance PACE plus full T1 Clearance. Specialisation Unaccompanied trailers Ford Motor Company Components and Third Party vehicles. Annual Volumes 25,000 trailers imported, 25,000 trailers exported, 290,000 cars imported, 22,000 cars exported. Sailings 2 Ro-Ro sailings per day to/from Vlissingen. Vessels owned and operated by Cobelfret Ferries - Service is under contract with Ford Motor Company Agents: Cobelfret Ferries UK Ltd
For other Terminals handling unit loads see... London Container Terminal page 124, map reference 58.
Port of London Handbook 99
Unit loads
Berths 3 deepwater berths (expanding to 6). Length 1,300 metres (expanding to 2,600 metres). Specialisations Deep-sea container terminal close to major cargo centres. Portcentric warehousing with Europe’s largest logistics park adjacent to the port. Depth 17 metres Berth pockets. Environment ISO 14001 Certified. HM Revenue & Customs Comprehensive HMRC offices and staff on site with full examination facilities available. Other facilities Bunkering permitted through shipping agent. Security Independent manned guarding service fully compliant with ISPS.
Ford Motor Company About 650,000 diesel engines were manufactured at Ford’s Dagenham Engine Plant in 2019. The vast majority are shipped from Ford’s Dagenham Jetty to the company’s vehicle assembly plants throughout Europe. To support power train and vehicle manufacture, the Dageham Jetty handles 50,000 trailer movements per year between the UK and continental Europe. In addition to freight, more than 218,000 finished Ford vehicles were imported over the Dagenham jetty in 2019. On behalf of Ford, Cobelfret operates vessels on the Dagenham/ Vlissingen service, with two arrivals into Dagenham per day. In October 2019, a newer vessel, the Adeline, was added into the loop, providing more flexibility to accommodate the mix of larger vehicles, including commercial vehicles, that Ford is bringing into the UK. As well as handling Ford’s own business, the Dagenham Jetty moves third party business. Trailers are shipped for a variety of customers, as Cobelfret and Ford look to maximise both shipping and port operations. Although Ford operates its own in-house freight forwarding department, it remains committed to seeking additional third party freight business and any opportunity to export finished vehicles to the continent for other UK-based manufacturers.
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Forest products
Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark imports wood pulp for its own use and for third parties through Northfleet Terminal near Gravesend. The pulp is processed into paper products at Kimberly-Clark’s adjacent Northfleet Mill manufacturing plant. Enquiries for third party handling are welcome, although capacity is currently limited. The terminal also provides short-term layby facilities for third party vessels. Kimberly Clark Ltd Northfleet Terminal Gravesend Crete Hall Road, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9AD Tel: Admin desk (01474) 336304 or Supervisor (01474) 336314 www.kimberly-clark.com Contact Greg Marshman, Wharf Supervisor Email: greg.marshman@kcc.com Tel: (01474) 336314 Operations Desk Tel: (01474) 336304 Map reference 48 Berths 1 Deep Water Jetty. 1 Barge Bay. Length 187.45 metres. Maximum length of ship that can be moored 183 metres. Depth of Water 15.66 metres MHWS (9.3 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Open storage area 9,000 square metres. 800 square metres warehouse. Access Close to A2 (Pepper Hill interchange), 20 minutes from Dartford Crossing (M25). HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Approval for Forest Products (Wood pulp and Lumber). Specialisation Handling, storage and distribution of wood pulp for Kimberly-Clark Limited and Third Party Customers.
Seacon Seacon specialises in the carriage and handling of forest products from the near continent, by offering customers a ‘mill to delivered’ service. The company operates 2,000-ton coasters, its own forest products terminal at Tower Wharf, Northfleet, and a dedicated haulage fleet based on site. Forest products represent about 25% of the cargo throughput at Tower Wharf, where over 20,000 square metres of warehousing is available for these commodities. The terminal is equipped for handling all forest products and enjoys excellent road links to the A2 and M25. Seacon has specifically developed trade with paper customers by working in close collaboration with other covered terminal operators on the continent. Seacon Terminals Ltd Tower Wharf Northfleet Tower Wharf, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9BD Tel: (01474) 320000 Fax: (01474) 329945 Email: cargo@seacon.co.uk www.seacon.co.uk Contacts James Roth, Chairman Tel: (01474) 320000 Fax: (01474) 329945 Russell Lennon, Asset Manager Tel: (01474) 320000 Fax: (01474) 329945 Map reference 44 Berths 2 - (1 covered). Length Vessels up to 200 metres. Depth of Water 17.61 metres MHWS (11.2 metres at Chart Datum). Cranes 3 x 40-tonne gantry cranes operating on covered berth. 2 x 20-tonne harbour mobile crane on main jetty. Mobile cranes up to 500-tonnes.
Cargo Accommodation 32,700 square metres of covered storage space. 22 acre site. 2,200 square metres temperature controlled warehouse for sensitive products/operations, i.e. unwrapping. Access Well located for national distribution being only approximately two miles from the M25 allowing ease of access from the berth to the UK motorway network. Equipment Full range of forklifts and clamps for handling steel products, non-ferrous metals and forest products. Container ramps for stuffing and unstuffing containers. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Approved Customs warehouse allowing for the deferment of VAT and Duty on goods in store. Specialisation Seacon arranges distribution for all products utilising its fleet of modern units and specialist trailers for the relevant commodities. In addition, Seacon arranges haulage in collaboration with its national network of sub-contractors to all parts of the UK and Eire with short notice and just in time requirements being a speciality.
For other Terminals handling forest products see... Port of Tilbury page 126, map reference 58.
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Steel and general cargoes
CMP Thames Ltd Britannia Terminal Northfleet Botany Road, Off Lower Road Northfleet, Kent, DA11 9BB Tel: (01474) 320899 Email: sales@cmp-thames.com www.cmp-thames.com Tel: (01474) 320899 Berths 4 Berths. Length 250 metres. Depth of Water 1.80 metres MHWS. Cranes/Capacity Various - up to 170-tonne Crawler. Floating cranes. Access Few minutes M25 and M2 motorways. Specialisation Marine Construction/piling Jetty maintenance. Diving and Sub-sea Engineering. Offshore Renewables Marine Plant/Machinery Owner-Operators of: Jack up Barges, Crane Barge/Pontoons, Work boats/ Modular Pontoons. All craft available for hire. 40m wide slipway on berth.
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M25, allowing ease of access from the berth to the UK motorway network. Seacon arranges distribution for all products, using its fleet of modern units and specialist trailers for the relevant commodities. In addition, Seacon arranges haulage in collaboration with its national network of subcontractors to all parts of the UK and Eire, with short notice and just-in-time requirements being a speciality.
Seacon Terminals Ltd Tower Wharf Northfleet Tower Wharf, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9BD Tel: (01474) 320000 Email: cargo@seacon.co.uk www.seacon.co.uk Contacts James Roth, Chairman Tel: (01474) 320000 Russell Lennon, Asset Manager Tel: (01474) 320000 Map reference 44 Berths 2 - (1 covered). Length Vessels up to 200 metres. Depth of Water 17.61 metres MHWS (11.2 metres at Chart Datum). Cranes 3 x 40-tonne gantry cranes operating on covered berth. 2 x 20-tonne harbour mobile crane on main jetty. Mobile cranes up to 500-tonnes. Cargo Accommodation 32,700 square metres of covered storage space. 22 acre site. 2,200 square metres temperature controlled warehouse for sensitive products/operations, i.e. unwrapping.
Access Well located for national distribution being only approximately two miles from the M25 allowing ease of access from the berth to the UK motorway network. Equipment Full range of forklifts and clamps for handling steel products, non-ferrous metals and forest products. Container ramps for stuffing and unstuffing containers. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Approved Customs warehouse allowing for the deferment of VAT and Duty on goods in store. Specialisation Seacon arranges distribution for all products utilising its fleet of modern units and specialist trailers for the relevant commodities. In addition, Seacon arranges haulage in collaboration with its national network of sub-contractors to all parts of the UK and Eire with short notice and just in time requirements being a speciality.
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Steel and general
Seacon Terminals Volumes through Seacon Terminals’ facilities total about 500,000 tonnes a year, comprising steel coils, structural steel, non-ferrous metals and forest products. The company operates its own fleet of 2,000 dwt ships handling cargoes mainly from northern European ports, with a particular emphasis on working with other covered berth facilities for steel and newsprint. An all-weather covered berth at the Seacon Terminal in Northfleet allows the discharge of steel and paper under cover using up to three 40-tonne gantry cranes. There is also a deepwater berth for vessels up to 50,000 dwt, serviced by two 20-tonne mobile harbour cranes, with direct transfer to the main storage areas. A total of 34,000 square metres of warehousing is available for all commodities, all serviced by gantry cranes or fork/clamp trucks. Seacon’s terminal is well located for national distribution, being only approximately two miles from the
Liquid bulks
Calor Gas Ltd Calor Gas Terminal Canvey Island Canvey Terminal, Thames Road Canvey Island, Essex SS8 0HR Tel: (01268) 511511 Email: decooper@calor.co.uk www.calor.co.uk Contact James Caird, Business Assurance & Support Lead Email: jcaird@calor.co.uk Tel: (01268) 511 511 Map reference 57 Storage Capacity 35,000 tonnes of Refrigerated LPG storage comprising six 5,000 tonne capacity and two 2,500 tonne capacity storage tanks. The storage tanks are capable of storing LPG at -42 degrees centigrade. Access Sea 1 Jetty. Length Vessels up to 250 metres loa on 97 metres jetty head. Depth of Water 12 metres at Chart Datum. Access Road M25 via A13/A127. HM Revenue & Customs Bonded Storage. Further Information Road tanker facility available between 24/7. Jetty for re-export, capable of loading up to 250 tph into fully refrigerated, semi-refrigerated or pressurised ships.
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Esso Petroleum Company Ltd Purfleet Purfleet Fuels Terminal, London Road, Purfleet, Essex RM19 1RS Tel: (01708) 682100 Email: purfleet.shipping.ops @exxonmobil.com www.esso.co.uk and www.exxonmobil.com Contact Paul Masson, Terminal Manager Tel: (01708) 682107 Map reference 32 Berths 1. Fuels Jetty Length Maximum length 180 metres (maximum SDWT 26,500 tonnes). Depth of Water 17.83 metres MHWS (11.2 metres at Chart Datum). 108,000 tonnes. Access Road M25 via London Road. Access Fuels Red Gate. Types of Storage Fuels - High and Low flash petroleum products. Other Facilities The plant is pipeline and marine fed. Fuels Fleet of road vehicles for petroleum distribution using bottom loading facilities linked to a vapour recovery system.
InterTerminals InterTerminals, wholly owned by Canada-based Inter Pipeline Ltd, is now one of the largest independent bulk liquid storage providers in northern Europe and the largest in the UK and Scandinavia, utilising 23 terminals across six countries with a combined storage capacity exceeding 5,800,000 cubic metres. InterTerminals began in 2005 when Inter Pipeline acquired Simon Storage with an initial capacity of 950,000 cu m across six terminals in the UK and one in Ireland. In 2006, Inter Pipeline acquired two terminals in Mannheim, Germany. In 2012 Inter Pipeline acquired Dong Energy Oil Terminals (DEOT), one of the largest energy groups in northern Europe, taking capacity to 3,000,000 cu m. During 2015, the storage operations were brought together under the unified banner of InterTerminals and Inter Pipeline acquired four terminals in Sweden from a subsidiary of Koninklijke Vopak NV. The latest addition to the InterTerminals family took place in November 2018 with the
InterTerminals Ltd Grays London Road, Grays, Essex RM17 5YZ Tel: (01375) 896100 Email: neil.stennett@interterminals.com www.interterminals.com Contacts Graham Jenkins, Commercial Manager Email: graham.jenkins@ interterminals.com Tel: (0151) 331 1707 Mob: (07801) 657939 Neil Stennett, Terminal Manager Email: neil.stennett@interterminals.com Tel: (01375) 374775 Map reference 42 Storage Capacity 310,000 cubic metres. Access Sea 2 Jetties. Access Road Easy access to M25 and motorway network. Length 228 metres - unrestricted beam and four docklines. Depth of Water 12.8 metres at Chart Datum.
Navigator Terminals Ltd Navigator Terminals Thames West Thurrock Oliver Road, West Thurrock, Grays, Essex RM20 3ED Tel: (01708) 863399 Email: mail@navigatorterminals.com www.navigatorterminals.com Contacts Robbie Breuk, Commercial Director Tel: (01708) 684084 Daren Kirby, Terminal Manager Tel: (01708) 683608 Sarah Morgan, Sales Manager UK Tel: (01708) 683698 Map reference 38 Berths 3. Depth of Water Up to 11 meters at chart datum. Capacity 378,000 cubic metres. 86 tanks, ranging from 50 to 10,500 cubic metres; mild steel, coated. Access Road Fully automated road vehicle bottom loading facilities available. Closely situated to Dartford Crossing and M25 (Junction 30/31). Loading/discharging facilities for sea and road. Specialisation High and low flash petroleum products. Other Facilities HM Revenue & Customs bonded storage. Blending, marking, dyeing and additive injection facilities. Internal floating roofs and vapour recovery systems on motor spirit tanks. 64 dedicated road loading points. Heating. QMS 9001:2015, EMS 14001:2015, Occupational Health and Safety Management ISO 45001. COMAH Upper Tier Accreditation. Land available for development.
Liquid bulks
acquisition of NuStar Energy LP’s European bulk liquid storage business, consisting of six terminals in the UK comprising 893,856 cu m and one terminal in Amsterdam comprising 613,861 cu m. The Grays terminal specialises in the storage and delivery of hydrocarbons and has storage capacity of over 310,000 cu m in 51 tanks ranging from 1,700 to 20,800 cu m. The terminal has recently completed approximately £27 million of investment to install additional loading gantries and upgrade both jetties to receive product at increased discharge rates. Jetty one has been dredged to 12.8 metres and can handle 60,000 DWT vessels. An additional vapour recovery unit has been installed, significantly increasing the throughput capability of the terminal. Close to the M25 motorway, the Grays terminal is well positioned to provide customers with a fast and efficient means of receiving products throughout London. The company will continue to invest at the terminal to maintain excellent safety and service levels. Fully automated bottom loading facilities supported by computerised preloading authorisation systems that are key to the highly efficient distribution operation.
Navigator Terminals UK Ltd Operating at four independent bulk liquid storage locations in Thames, North Tees, Seal Sands and Windmill, Navigator provides excellent import and export coverage for the UK. Navigator’s strengths lie in a combination of tank terminals at strategic locations for its customers; a strict policy with regards to safety, health, environment and quality; experienced and welltrained employees; a worldwide recognised quality based on the most stringent industrial standards; and a solid track record in strategic cooperation with third parties and partnerships with customers. An expert in the storage and handling of petroleum products, Navigator Terminal Thames offers fuel component blending and automated truck loading (ATL) facilities. Coupled with Navigator’s efficient stock management system, this allows customers to provide safe, on-time and cost-effective fuel logistics for their end users. The Thames terminal consists of 86 tanks with a storage capacity of 378,000 cubic metres. There will be continued major investments during 2020 and subsequent years, to make further improvements in efficiency and flexibility. Onsite facilities include three vapour recovery systems that capture and reprocess gasoline vapours, LPG gasoline blending capabilities and process control systems via automatic tank gauging and modern tank radar technology. The fuel loading bays are fully automated and configured with injection systems capable of delivering both gasoline and diesel additives, plus bioethanol and biodiesel blend streams. Navigator Terminal Thames is classified as a strategic location for the continued supply of road fuels in the UK. The terminal has more than 64 dedicated road loading points, including fully automated bottom loading facilities and remote ordering and access to the site. To assist road hauliers in the area, Navigator also has road tanker parking and office facilities at the terminal. The emphasis at the fully computerised facility is on minimising road tanker turnaround times. An ERP computer system provides customers with real-time stock information via secure Internet access. The terminal’s location only a few minutes from Junction 30/31 of the M25 gives customers excellent access to the UK’s national road network.
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Oikos Storage Ltd Oikos Storage Ltd is a bulk liquid storage terminal strategically sited on Canvey Island at the mouth of the Thames estuary. At this prime location, the Oikos Storage Terminal is unique in the UK in having access to both the CLH Pipeline System (CLH-PS), formerly the Government Pipeline and Storage System (GPSS), and the UK Oil Pipeline System (UKOP), allowing aviation fuel and road fuels to be pumped directly into both systems. A top tier COMAH site, the Oikos terminal handles the import and export of the full range of liquid bulks, including aviation fuel, gasoline, diesel, marine bunker fuels and other petroleum products and chemicals. Oikos Storage Ltd completed the second phase of its £64 million Project Aeris in 2019, providing a new jetty and 12 new storage tanks. More investment is on the way, after Oikos was acquired by Aberdeen Standard Investments in May 2019 and became part of the group’s energy portfolio. The terminal has recently benefited from Project Vela, which included the refurbishment of some tanks, the replacement of an existing bund and tank foundations and excavation of a new culvert to install pipework connections. New pumps, instrumentation and safety equipment were installed to feed two new road loading bays, and new gates were installed, together with drainage, lighting and other infrastructure. The operation is driver-controlled using preauthorised swipe cards which allow each vehicle and driver access to the terminal to collect the predesignated load. Project Serpens, a project to promote the safe and efficient transfer of jet fuel between various parts of the terminal, was also completed in 2019. Project Annexsus has involved recommissioning the Oikos Feeder
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Line which goes underground from the Oikos Terminal to the pump station at Thames B in Thurrock – which itself connects into the CLH-PS. In the next major investment, Project Hydra will involve mechanical and construction work to enable operation of the Oikos Marine and South Side Development project to replicate the activities which already take place at the site. This will include provision of two new marine loading arms and new import/ export pipelines on Jetty 2, new import/export pipelines and a new marine loading arm on Jetty 1, and ten 30,000 cu m storage tanks, as well as including two 5,000 cu m storage tanks for FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester), the chemical term for biodiesel derived from renewable sources. Oikos’s new road loading facilities are capable of loading both aviation fuel and ground fuels via dedicated systems. The terminal operates on a 24/7/364 basis and has dual carriageway connections to the A13, A127 and M25. Oikos Storage Ltd Canvey Island Hole Haven Wharf, Haven Road, Canvey Island, Essex SS8 0NR Tel: (01268) 682206 Fax: (01268) 510095 Email: info@oikos.co.uk www.oikos.co.uk Contact Tony Woodward, General Manager Tel: (01268) 682206 Map reference 56 Storage Facilities 300,000 cubic metres in tanks ranging from 50 to 20,000 cubic metres. 38 tanks for storage of all petroleum products, aviation fuels, road fuels, chemicals, lubricants, hard oils and other specialist products. A number of tanks are lagged. The terminal ISO 9001 accredited. Access Sea Jetty 1. Length 217 metres LOA maximum. Depth of Water 12.5 metres at Chart Datum. Access Sea Jetty 2. Length 277 metres LOA maximum. Depth of Water 14.5 metres at Chart Datum. Access Road M25/A13/A127 via a new dual carriageway road. Access Pipeline Direct connections to UKOP and CLH-PS pipeline systems. Top road loading facilities. Waste Licences Licensed by Essex County Council and the Environment Agency. HM Revenue & Customs Bonded Storage. A designated COMAH top tier site.
Pura Foods Pura Foods Ltd has operated Jurgens jetty at Purfleet since the ADM group acquired Van den Bergh Oils in August 2003. The jetty receives approx 300,000 tonnes of edible oils per year, including sunflower, rapeseed and tropical oils. Packed and bulk oils are delivered to a wide range of food manufacturing factories around the UK and overseas. The jetty’s outer berth has a minimum depth of 8.25 metres alongside and accommodates vessels up to 40,000 dwt. Pura Foods Ltd Jurgens Jetty Purfleet Jurgens Jetty, London Road, Purfleet, Essex RM19 1SD Tel: (01708) 894259 Email: gavin.chapman@adm.com www.admworld.com Contact Gavin Chapman, Logistics Manager Email: gavin.chapman@adm.com Tel: (01708) 894259 Map reference 34 Berths 2. Length Outer 100 metres (with mooring dolphins) able to accommodate ship lengths of circa 180 metres. Inner Barge berth - 50 metres. Depth of Water Outer 15.68 metres MHWS (9.1 metres at Chart Datum). Inner Barge berth - 9.3 metres MHWS (2.72 metres at Chart Datum). Access Close connection to national motorway system. Specialisation Edible Oil refiners. Comments Various discharge line facilities and segregated line systems.
Shell Haven Terminal Ideally located on the north bank of the River Thames, downstream of London Gateway and close to the M25, Shell Haven Terminal is a key hub for the import and supply of aviation fuel (Jet A-1). Shell Haven’s modern jetty and import facilities, commissioned in 2011, allow vessels up 250 metres in length and 135,000 tonnes (summer deadweight) to be safely and quickly accommodated. The terminal’s central control building, built in 2011, accommodates all site operations in a single modern facility. In 2019 the terminal was awarded the Safety Excellence award at the annual Tank Storage Awards. Shell UK Oil Products Ltd Shellhaven Terminal Shellhaven Barkers Boulevard, Coryton Stanford-le-Hope, Essex SS17 9GA Tel: Central Control (01375) 644395 www.shell.co.uk Contact Fay Lashbrook, Terminal Manager Email: Fay.Lashbrook@shell.com Tel: (01375) 653367 Map reference 54 Berths 1 S-jetty: Ship Length 250 metres. Depth of Water 15 metres at Chart Datum. Access A13/M25. Other Facilities Jetties liable to siltation; regular surveys and dredging of berths. Facilities in operation 24 hours. Specialisation Aviation products. During 2018 Shell Haven’s road loading facilities underwent a major upgrade program and can now load up to 250 road tankers per day to supplement the pipeline supplies to major UK airports.
Stolthaven Dagenham Ltd Dagenham Thunderer Jetty, Choats Road, Dagenham, Essex RM9 6PU Tel: (020) 7076 0893 www.stolt-nielsen.com Contact Steve Walker, General Manager Email: s.walker@stolt.com Tel: (020) 7076 0847 Map reference 22 Berths Jetty for ocean-going vessels. Inner barge berth for fuel and gas oils and vegetable oils. Depth of Water 16.18 metres MHWS (10.5 metres at Chart Datum).
Thames Oilport Owned by Greenergy, Thames Oilport is located on the site of the former Coryton refinery and is a modern import terminal, capable of meeting growing fuel demand in the South East of England. Thames Oilport is capable of storing and supplying a range of bulk fuels including biodiesel, gasoil and kerosene, through newly upgraded road loading gantries. The terminal benefits from connections to the UK Oil Pipeline System (UKOP) and CLH pipeline system so that fuels imported into the facility can be supplied onwards to other parts of the UK. Chris Brookhouse, Chief Executive of Thames Oilport said, “Thames Oilport continues to be strategically important for the region. Our ongoing investment in Thames Oilport will further increase its capability so that it can continue to provide crucial supply resilience in the South East and other parts of the UK.” The next phases of the terminal investments includes introducing marine gasoil for bunker barges and increasing the capacity of the jetties to improve operational flexibility.
Thames Oilport Ltd Stanford-le-Hope The Manorway, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex SS17 9LQ Tel: (01375) 647165 Email: info@thamesoilport.co.uk Contact Julian Douse, Terminal Manager Tel: (01375) 647165 Email: julian.douse@thamesoilport.co.uk www.greenergy.com Map reference 55 Storage capacity 300,000 cubic metres. Access Sea 3 jetties accommodating the following maximum vessel dimensions: LOA Up to 350 metres. Beam up to 73 metres. Displacement up to 300,000 tonnes. Max dredge depth 14 metres. Access Road Excellent access to M25/motorway network via upgraded road system. Specialisation Road and heating fuels. Other Facilities Fully refurbished road loading facilities, including automated bottom loading and pre-loading. Multi-additive system. UKOP pipeline connection.
Liquid bulks
Stolthaven Dagenham Stolthaven’s global network of terminals provides high-quality storage and distribution services to customers worldwide. Stolthaven Dagenham handles a wide range of bulk liquids, including CPP, chemicals, base oils, oleochemicals, vegetable oils and fats. The terminal has also recently won contracts and increased capacity for the handling of renewable fuels. Stolthaven Dagenham recently went through a major refurbishment project to provide a modern and versatile facility with tank capacities ranging from 50 to 11,000 cubic metres. Current capabilities include laboratory services, blending, dilution and product heating. The deepwater jetty receives vessels of up to 10.5 metres draft and it is the closest terminal to London of its type, providing easy access into the A13 and M25 motorways. Major investment projects in 2019 included the automation of CPP blending direct at the loading racks, which was completed by the end of the year, and the construction of a new integrated office and control centre, to house all site personnel, due for completion in the first quarter of 2020. Continuous improvement of its own facilities and the close relationship with Stolt Tankers and Stolt Tank Containers enable Stolthaven to provide its customers with integrated logistics solutions that reduce costs and increase operating efficiencies, all within an environment of assured safety, quality and environmental protection.
For other Terminals handling liquid bulks see... Thames Refinery page 122, map reference 15.
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Dry bulks Aggregate Industries Aggregate Industries is at the frontline of the construction and infrastructure sector, producing and supplying an array of construction materials. With more than 200 sites and over 3,900 dedicated employees, it is home to everything from aggregates and asphalt to ready-mixed concrete and precast concrete products. It also produces, imports and supplies materials for cement and has national road surfacing and contracting services. It offers a full range of products which help its customers work sustainably, safely, professionally and profitably. Aggregate Industries is a member of the global building materials and solutions company LafargeHolcim, which has 80,000 employees in over 80 countries. Certified with The Responsible Source™, thanks to its continued innovation and investment, the company offers a varied portfolio of sustainable solutions that complement its typically traditional products. With operations in the centre of London and the Thames Gateway areas, Aggregate Industries is well placed to serve construction projects at the heart of the nation. Through its London-based ready-mixed concrete business London Concrete, it has supplied construction projects such as the Shard, the Olympic Park and Crossrail. As a quarrying company, Aggregate Industries owns sites across the UK and has major operations in Scotland, the East Midlands and Somerset, from which it moves construction aggregates across the country and to London by ship and rail. The company operates the world’s largest self-discharging aggregate carriers, which carry up to 97,000 tonnes. Along the Thames, it operates a fleet of tugs and barges through Bennett’s Barges. Bennett’s Barges transports hundreds of thousands of tonnes of aggregate products from the Isle of Grain depot to its Thames customers, saving more than six million lorry miles each year. It has a reputation for taking on the South East’s most technically complicated maritime projects. In 2012, Bennett’s Barges was at the forefront of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pageant. The specially refitted tug Stephen B and barge Ursula Katherine underwent extensive redesign to carry the
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floating belfry containing the eight Jubilee Bells. In 2018, Bennett’s Barges welcomed a fleet of eight new Tideway class barges to the River Thames, adding over 11,000 tonnes of capacity. It also continued work on the Thames Tideway Tunnel project, where it is scheduled to remove 800,000 tonnes of spoil produced from the tunnelling process via the Thames. This will eventually mean there will approximately be 34,000 fewer vehicle movements on London’s roads. Aggregate Industries is committed to use of the river for transporting freight through the capital without adding to road use, helping to reduce carbon emissions for a cleaner environment in the capital - compared to an HGV, barge use produces up to 90% less CO2. Away from the rivers and canals, aggregates are transported by rail wherever possible into depots and terminals, hauled by energy-efficient locomotives. Aggregate Industries is looking to work on future London development projects that are committed to using the waterways.
Aggregate Industries (UK) Ltd (c/o North Kent Roadstone Ltd) Robins Wharf Northfleet Grove Road, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9AX Tel: (01474) 330420 www.aggregate-uk.com Contact michael harwood Email: michael.harwood@aggregate.com Tel: (01474) 330420 Map reference 45 Berths 1. Length Ships/barges up to 100 metres length. Depth of Water 9.01 metres MHWS (2.6 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Open Storage. Access Close connection to A2 and M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Aggregates and Bulk Aggregate Products. Discharge by grab at 200 tph or self-discharging at 800 tph. 7 day week working berth. Onward transportation arranged.
Archer Daniels Midland Erith Ltd ADM Erith Ltd Erith Church Manorway, Erith, Kent DA8 1DE Tel: (01322) 443000 www.admworld.com Contact Derek Humphrey Tel: (01322) 443000 Map reference 29 Berths 2. Outside Berth Rapeseed discharge, Vegetable Oil discharge/outloading. Inside Berth Rapeseed Meal outloading. Length Outside Berth 121 metres (including dolphin). Inside Berth 56 metres (accommodate vessels up to 85 metres). Depth of Water Outside Berth 13.58 metres MHWS (6.8 metres at Chart Datum). Inside Berth 9.18 metres MHWS (2.4 metres at Chart Datum). Access A2 and M25. Specialisation Oilseed processors and vegetable oil refiner. Able to handle both crude and refined vegetable oils.
Brett Aggregates Ltd Northfleet Grove Road, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9AX Tel: (01474) 536043 www.brett.co.uk Contact Paris Miller, Logistics Manager Email: paris.miller@brett.co.uk Tel: (01634) 223064 Map reference 48 Berths 1. Length Ships/barges up to 100 metres length. Depth of Water 9.01 metres MHWS (2.6 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Open Storage. Access Close connection to A2 and M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited approval. Specialisation Sea-Dredged Aggregates. Brett Aggregates Ltd Peruvian Wharf Tel: (0203) 926 7551 www.brett.co.uk Contact Jason Tomlins, Production Manager Email: Jason.tomlins@brett.co.uk Mobile: 07436 535693 Tel: (0203) 926 7551 Map reference 11 Berths 1 - NAABSA designated Length 95 metres. Depth of Water 6.25 metres above Chart Datum at MHWS. Cargo Accommodation Open Storage available. Access Via North Woolwich Road/ Silvertown Way and Dock Road, Silvertown Specialisation Import of aggregates via receipt hopper and conveyor. Also barge transfer of aggregates.
materials including minerals, and supply goods and services into the construction industry in the South East market. Brett has opened a state-ofthe-art concrete plant at Peruvian Wharf which supplies the full range of high-specification concrete mixes using both primary and secondary aggregates to the local area around Silvertown and to major projects in the rapidly developing East London area. The Peruvian site enables these aggregates to be delivered to the point of concrete production sustainably by river and without moving aggregates by road, reducing the carbon footprint of the concrete produced and helping to reduce pollution and congestion on London’s roads, while delivering the critical construction materials for development and regeneration.
Brett Aggregates Ltd North Sea Terminal Cliffe North Sea Terminal, Salt Lane, Cliffe, Kent ME3 7SX Tel: (01634) 220631 www.brett.co.uk Contact Paris Miller, Logistics Manager E-mail: paris.miller@brett.co.uk Tel: (01634) 223064 Map reference 52 Berths 1. Length 149 metres. Depth of Water 11.4 metres MHWS (5.2 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Open Storage with access to rail head facility. Access A2/M2/M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Sea-Dredged Aggregates. Other cargoes could be accommodated. Barge load-out facility.
Dry bulks
Brett Aggregates Up to two million tonnes of sea-dredged aggregates from specific areas of the North Sea, the mid-Channel and off the southern UK coast around the Isle of Wight are landed each year at Cliffe, Brett Aggregates’ main terminal in the Port of London. Rail and river export accounts for the onward transit of over 50% of Brett’s output from the terminal, with several trains departing every day. An onsite block-making plant utilises imported aggregates to produce a number of concrete products for Brett Landscaping and Building Products. The site has very significant capacity for receipt of spoil from construction projects and is able to receive imported spoil by river and by rail. Imported spoil is used to build a bird reserve in a partnership project with the RSPB. Brett Aggregates also has terminals at Northfleet, Ridham, Whitstable and Ramsgate, and other facilities outside the Thames Estuary, all of which handle bulk
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Medtow Marine Ltd MARINE CONTRACTORS
l Jetty Maintenance, Construction and Demolition l Floating Cranes and Pontoons l Tug and Barges for hire l Lighterage services l Licensed Boatmasters - Watermen and Lightermen Contact: David Birthright Mobile: 07831 168996 Fax: 01474 833336 Email: medtowmarine@yahoo.co.uk
Blended cements enable every tonne of clinker, an intermediate cement product, to go further, lessening the overall impact of manufacture and delivering a more sustainable operation. The plant is situated directly on the quayside, with 10 metres water depth and the ability to handle ships up to 25,000 tonnes. It is well positioned to take advantage of CEMEX UK’s extensive network of London wharfs and depots, all of which are connected by river and rail to further minimise emissions and relieve the pressure on congested roads. The high-efficiency, low-energy facility is CEMEX’s first vertical cement mill and uses 20-40% less energy than traditional horizontal mills. Building materials are being supplied to high-profile projects around the country including Crossrail and the Thames Tideway Tunnel. CEMEX’s Dagenham wharf is the closest aggregate production facility north of the river to central London, with production capacity of 500,000 tonnes a year.
CEMEX UK Materials Angerstein Wharf Greenwich CEMEX House, Evreux Way, Rugby CV21 2DT Tel: (01788 517000) www.cemex.co.uk Contact Wayne Strevens, Area Operations Manager London Tel: (01788) 517000 Map reference 12
CEMEX UK Materials Northfleet Wharf Northfleet CEMEX House, Evreux Way, Rugby CV21 2DT Tel: (01788 517000) www.cemex.co.uk Contact Wayne Strevens, Area Operations Manager for SE Region Tel: (01788) 517000 Map reference 43
Berths 1. Length 100 metres. Depth of Water 10.97 metres MHWS (3.9 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Open storage. Access A2. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Aggregates Handling.
Berths 1 Riverside. Length 100 metres. Depth of Water 10.31 metres MHWS (3.9 metres at Chart Datum). Access A2/M2/M25. Discharge Open conveyor belt 1400mm wide 269 meters long. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited. Specialisation Sand and gravel discharges and processing. Sea-Dredged Aggregates.
CEMEX UK Materials CEMEX Dagenham Dagenham CEMEX House, Evreux Way, Rugby CV21 2DT Tel: (01788 517000) www.cemex.co.uk Contact Wayne Strevens, Area Operations Manager for SE Region Tel: (01788) 517000 Map reference 21 Berths 1. Length 110 metres. Depth of Water 10.28 metres MHWS (3.3 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Open storage. Access A13. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited approval. Specialisation Aggregates handling with conveyor loading of all suitable materials.
CEMEX UK Materials CEMEX Fulham Fulham CEMEX House, Coldharbour Lane, Thorpe, Egham, Surrey TW20 8TD Tel: (01932) 568833 www.cemex.co.uk Contact Wayne Strevens, Area Operations Manager for SE Region Tel: (01788) 517000 Map reference 3 Berths 1. Length 46 metres. Depth of Water 5 metres MHWS. Cargo Accommodation Open/Bin Storage/Silo Storage. Access Central London/A217. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Aggregate Handling/Concrete Production/ Bulk Cement Handling.
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Dry bulks
CEMEX UK CEMEX is a global building materials solutions company with leading market positions in aggregates, cement and readymixed concrete. Its London terminals, including a plant at the Port of Tilbury, supply many major construction projects in South East England. The company operates four wharves on the river. Materials are supplied by barge to the CEMEX Fulham site for use in the onsite concrete plant, as well as to other CEMEX customers along the river, while the Northfleet, Dagenham and Angerstein wharves handle imports of sea-dredged aggregates from CEMEX UK Marine. In 2018, the company announced its investment in CEMEX Go Innovation, which will be the first in the next generation of environmentally designed dredgers. The vessel has been designed to deliver major environmental savings while ensuring safety, high performance and sustainability. Due to be delivered from the Damen Shipyards Galati yard in Romania in 2020, the dredger will have a 25% increased capacity, nearly double the dredging depth and a discharge rate increase of 20% compared to today’s equivalent. A joint venture investment between the PLA and CEMEX has created new facilities and higher capacity at the company’s Northfleet Wharf. Some £3.8 million has been invested in the jetty and site to install a new dry discharge system. The CEMEX concrete products factory at Northfleet produces a wide range of block paving, concrete blocks and bricks. The multipurpose facility is CEMEX’s largest concrete products factory in the UK, producing more than 1.5 million square metres of finished product per year. It has a prime location by the Thames which enables it to maximise both the amount of dredged raw material it can use and the amount of material that is brought in by boat, as opposed to road. CEMEX’s 1.2 million tonne capacity cement grinding and blending plant at the Port of Tilbury is the only cement grinding plant in South East England. As well as CEM1 Portland cement, the main product manufactured at the facility is blended cement, which incorporates by-products from other industries to make cements for use in all types of concrete applications, including housing, hospitals, schools and roads.
Docklands Wharf Ltd Barking 72-76 River Road, Barking, Essex IG11 0DS Tel: (020) 8594 9970 Email: docklandswharf@msn.com Contact Michael Duke Tel: (020) 8594 9970 Map reference 19 Berths 1 NAABSA Berth. Length 160 metres. Depth of Water 5.91 metres MHWS. Cargo Accommodation 4 Acres Open Storage. Access Close connection to national motorway system by upgraded A13 and A406. Cranes 3 x 5-tonne Sennobogen. Heavy lift crane on demand for loads of up to 300-tonne. Equipment 50-tonne weighbridge. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Bulk Cargoes of scrap metals. Grab discharge of bulk material. 24 hour wharf operation. ELG Haniel Metals Ltd Alexanders Wharf 12-14 River Road, Barking, Essex IG11 0DG Tel: (020) 8591 8444 or (020) 8594 7211 www.elg.co.uk Contact David Cook Email: david.cook@elg.uk Tel: 0771 350 5534 Map reference 16 Berths 1. Length 40 metres Depth of Water 5.20 metres MHWS Cargo Accommodation 2 acre site. Access Half mile to national motorway system and the upgraded A13. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited approval Specialisation Scrap metal recycling Euromix Concrete Dock Entrance Wharf Silvertown Dock Road, Silvertown, London E16 1AF Tel: (020) 7473 8222 or (01245) 464545 Email: info@euromixconcrete.com www.euromixconcrete.com Contact Paul Betts, General Manager Email: paulbetts@euromixconcrete.com Tel: (01245) 464545 Map reference 10
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European Metal Recycling Ltd Erith Manor Road, Erith, Kent DA8 2AD Tel: (01925) 715400 or (0345) 266 1854 Email: ukinfo@emrgroup.com www.emrgroup.com Contact Bob Garwood, Chief Executive Officer Email: bob.garwood@emrgroup.com Tel: (01925) 715443 Mob: (07970) 082801 Map reference 31 Berths 1 NAABSA Berth. Length 200 metres. Depth of Water 4.53 metres MHWS. Cargo Accommodation 9 acres. Access 4 miles from Dartford Crossing and short distance from A2. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation One of the world’s leading metal recyclers. Extensive depot network and logistics capability. A recycling service you can depend on. Eurovia Roadstone No.1 Western Extension Dagenham Dagenham Dock, Chequers Lane, Dagenham, Essex RM9 6QD Tel: (020) 8593 2245 www.eurovia.co.uk Contact Paul Warwick, Manager Email: paul.warwick@eurovia.co.uk Tel: (020) 8593 7666 Map reference 23 Berths 1 Riverside Length 100 metres. Depth of Water 5.48 metres MHWS. Cargo Accommodation 2 x 5 acres of open storage with bulk loading by shovels. 2 x 60-tonne weighbridges. Access Close connection to M25 and Central London via A13 and A406. Cranes/Capacity 1 Stothert & Pitt. Grab discharge 3/5-tonne capacity. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Licensed to handle coal off-loading and storage of bulk cargoes such as aggregates, salt, etc. Facility available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. NAABSA berth.
FM Conway Aggregates & Asphalt Conway Wharf Erith Conway House, Vestry Road Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5EL Tel: (01732) 600700 Email: enquiries@fmconway.co.uk www.fmconway.co.uk Contact Tim Metcalf, Director Email: tim.metcalf@fmconway.com Tel: (0800) 276 1122 Mob: (07887) 642996 Map reference 30
FM Conway Ltd Imperial Wharf Gravesend Conway House, Vestry Road Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5EL Tel: (01732) 600700 Email: enquiries@fmconway.co.uk www.fmconway.co.uk Contact Tim Metcalf, Director Email: tim.metcalf@fmconway.com Tel: (0844) 880 9249 Mob: (07887) 642996 Map reference 50
Berths 1. Maximum length of ship 110 metres. Depth of Water 10 metres at MHW. Cargo accommodation 4.2 acres. Access Facility 200m from Church Manor Way with access to Bronze Age Way (A2016). Specialisation Aggregate handling. Third party cargoes considered. Lorry access to jetty head. Equipment 360 degree hydraulic dock crane with 500 tph ship to shore conveyor system to 8 covered aggregate holding bays.
Berths 2. Maximum length of ship 85 metres. Depth of Water 8.5 metres at Chart Datum. Access Via A2 Specialisation General Cargo Handling. Bulk Liquids
Hanson Hanson operates five facilities on the Thames – a marine wharf, asphalt plant and rail depot at Dagenham; a wharf and readymixed concrete plant at Victoria Deep (Greenwich); a wharf and ready-mixed concrete plant at Wandsworth; and wharves at both Purfleet and Greenhithe. The company, part of the HeidelbergCement Group, has invested in its London-based operations. New aggregates processing equipment was installed at its Dagenham depot in 2018 and a major upgrade of its Victoria Deep Water Terminal is under way. Demand for marine-dredged sand and gravel remained flat in 2019 due to Brexit uncertainty and delays to major infrastructure projects. Nevertheless, projects such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel super sewer continue to use large quantities of sand, gravel and aggregates to make ready-mixed and precast concrete. While the forecast for 2020 for construction markets in the South
East remains flat, with a continued decline in commercial and office activity, it is anticipated that this will be offset by greater demand from public-funded infrastructure and road maintenance projects. The Thames is crucial to Hanson’s operations, enabling the company to deliver materials close to where they are needed, eliminating thousands of road miles. Marine-dredged sand and gravel from the eastern English Channel and the North Sea are landed at Dagenham Wharf. A barge-loading facility is used for the onward transportation of sand, gravel and aggregates up the Thames to Hanson’s ready-mixed concrete plants at Greenwich and Wandsworth. Rail also plays a key part in the distribution chain. Crushed limestone from the Mendips and hardstone from South Wales is imported into the Dagenham terminal to feed the site’s two asphalt plants, which make road-surfacing materials for local roads, trunk routes and the motorway network. There is also a ready-mixed concrete plant on the site. Sand, gravel and crushed rock is exported by rail to depots at West Drayton and Theale. From there it is transferred to Hanson’s network of ready-mixed concrete plants located within the M25. The Dagenham terminal, which receives vessels 24 hours a day, also incorporates a bagging facility supplying bagged aggregates to the DIY and small construction sector. The wharf and ready-mixed concrete plant at Wandsworth continues to be busy, and is one of the key plants supplying concrete to the Thames Tideway project. Hanson Aggregates Johnson’s Wharf Greenhithe Crossways Boulevard, Greenhithe, Kent DA9 9AD Tel: (01322) 386561 www.hanson.co.uk Contact Steve Chidgey, East London Unit Manager Email: Steve.Chidgey@hanson.biz Tel: (020) 8984 4167 Mobile: 07977 261066 Map reference 40
Berths 1. Length 150 metres. Depth of Water 14.05 metres MHWS (7.2 metres at Chart Datum). Barge Loading Facility 4 Dolphins - approximately 25 metres in length. Depth of Water 10.05 metres MHWS (3.2 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Marine Aggregates plus possibility of handling other aggregates on site. Access Close connection to M25 via A13 and A406. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Marine Aggregates dredging and processing. Receiving hopper and discharge conveyor 2,000 tph for self-discharging vessels. Barge loading feeder conveyor 600 tph, for all suitable materials for home or export. Hanson Aggregates Victoria Deep Water Terminal Greenwich c/o The Weighbridge, Tunnel Avenue, Victoria Deep Water Terminal, Greenwich, London SE10 0QE Tel: (020) 8858 8161 Contact Steve Chidgey, East London Unit Manager Email: Steve.Chidgey@hanson.biz Tel: (020) 8984 4167 Mobile: 07977 261066 Map reference 7 Berths 2. Length 259 metres total length. Depth of Water 12.73 metres MHWS (5.6 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation 7 hectares of open storage. Access Direct access to A102(M) Blackwall Tunnel South Side. Direct links to A2, M2 and M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Accommodation for both self-discharging vessels and land grab crane discharge. Aggregates, Sub-Base-Type 1 Material.
Hanson Cement Civil and Marine Jetty West Thurrock London Road, West Thurrock, Essex RM20 3NL Tel: (01708) 864813 www.hanson.biz Contact Warren Scott, Works Manager Tel: (01708) 864813 Map reference 35 Berths 2 Dolphins each berth. 2 dedicated to self-discharging slag bulker and North Sea dredgers. Depth of Water 11.98 metres MHWS (5.4 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Granulated Slag and Marine Aggregates. Access A13/M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Slag Grinding. 2 Receiving Hoppers, 1,800 tph. Civil & Marine Ltd and Hanson Aggregates Marine discharge conveyors for self-discharging vessels. Hanson Concrete Pier Wharf Wandsworth Pier Terrace, Jews Road, Wandsworth, London SW18 1TB Tel: (020) 8870 3333 www.hanson-aggregates.com Contact Greg Burton, District Operations Manager Email: greg.burton@hanson.biz Tel: (07977) 251255 Map reference 2 Berths 1. Length 40 metres. Depth of Water 6.08 metres MHWS. Cargo Accommodation Processed sand and gravel for concrete. Access Close connection to South Circular Road. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Grab/Excavator discharge for on-site Premix concrete plant.
Dry bulks
Berths 2 Dolphins 1 dedicated to own dredgers. Depth of Water 11.16 metres MHWS (4.6 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Marine Aggregates only. Access Connection to national road system A2/M2/M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Marine Aggregates dredging and processing. 2 Receiving hoppers and 2,000 tph discharge conveyors for self-discharging vessels.
Hanson Aggregates Dagenham Chequers Lane, Dagenham, Essex RM9 6QD Tel: (020) 984 4167 www.hanson.co.uk Contact Steve Chidgey, East London Unit Manager Email: Steve.Chidgey@hanson.biz Tel: (020) 8984 4167 Mobile: 07977 261066 Map reference 25
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Industrial Chemicals Established in March 1976, Industrial Chemicals developed from an Essex based transport company into an international chemical manufacturer and trader of industrial chemicals. It purchased its 80-acre site at the former West Thurrock Power Station some 24 years ago, with West Thurrock Jetty becoming operational in 2000, initially to receive bulk powder vessels. Headquartered in Grays, with nine operations throughout the UK, and one in the USA, the company has an annual turnover in excess of ÂŁ125 million, employing more than 500 people across its operations, with a global client base; handling
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more than one million tonnes of specialist chemicals annually. The company supplies an extensive product portfolio, including both bulk and packed chemicals to a variety of industries, with many of its customers being recognisable household names. The company’s products are used in a range of sectors including agriculture, water utilities, steel production, energy utilities, pharmaceuticals and homecare products, with customers ranging from large internationals to small family owned businesses who appreciate the reliability and dependability of the services offered. As an independent company, it is able to focus on infrastructure investment where it is required most by its customers, providing specific tailored chemical solutions, including grinding, milling, filtration and spray drying. Coupled with the company’s substantial dependable specialist distribution fleet, it
ensures that the highest levels of customer care and a continuous and sustainable service is always provided and trusted. Investments at the jetty in recent years have included the installation of a Siwertell mobile screw unloader for environmentally friendly discharge of bulk dry powder shipments. In addition, a rail-mounted travelling quay crane was commissioned to handle bulk, general and container cargoes. The crane has a lift capacity of 48 tonnes at 16 metres, and 16 tonnes at 25 metres. Additional investment has seen the installation of a pipeline on the jetty and construction of new tank capacity on the main site to
facilitate the handling and storage of liquid bulk products. Situated only two miles from Junction 30/31 of the M25 London orbital motorway and close to the Dartford Crossing, with deep water and sufficient storage land, the facility offers an ideal location for serving end-markets both north and south of the Thames for third-party customers. Industrial Chemicals has an onsite approved weighbridge as well as 24/7 security operations across the whole site.
Industrial Chemicals Ltd West Thurrock Jetty West Thurrock Stoneness Road, West Thurrock, Essex RM20 3AG Tel: (01708) 258510 www.icgl.co.uk Contacts Charles Carver, Director Email: ccarver@icgl.co.uk Tel: (01375) 389000 Ken Giles, Terminal Manager Email: kgiles@icgl.co.uk Tel: (07800) 976112 Map reference 41
Equipment Siwertell Mobile Screw Unloader 250 tph (subject to density). Travelling Rail Mounted Quay Crane, 48 tonnes @ 16 metres; 16 tonnes @ 25 metres, Grab Fitted, plus general cargo and container options. Mobile Ship-Loading Conveyor 500 tph. Full support services also offered. On site approved Weighbridge. Commodities Dry Bulks, Liquid Bulks, Bulk Powders and Products, General and Container Cargoes.
Dry bulks
Berths 1 Deep-Water Berth. Length 213 metres (291 metres including accessible mooring dolphins). Depth of Water 12.23 metres MHWS (5.7 metres below Chart Datum). Access HGV Vehicle direct access via fixed link bridge approach road to the Jetty. National roads approximately 2 miles via non-residential roads from junction 30/31 M25. Queen Elizabeth II Bridge North or South Opportunities. A13-2 miles. A406-15 Miles. UK Border Agency Wharf Approval Specialisation Imports of raw materials for in-house processing. Third Party work opportunities Export/Imports. Lay-by work undertaken. Cargo Accommodation Mostly open hard standing, covered subject to availability and agreement.
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Transporting bulk liquids on the Thames since 1990 Owners of the only Stainless Steel Tanker Barge working on the UK’s inland waterways Photo by Alan Chapman
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J Clubb Ltd Clubb’s Marine Terminal Gravesend Church Hill, Wilmington, Dartford Kent DA2 7DZ Tel: (01322) 225431 Email: sales@jclubb.co.uk www.jclubb.co.uk Contacts Jon Lovett, Commercial Director Tel: (01322) 225431 Shaun Jury, Operations Manager and PFSO Tel: (01322) 225431 Simon Clubb, Managing Director Tel: (01322) 225431 Map reference 51 Berths 2 including: New transhipment berth available for delivery of all grades of finished aggregates in barges and coasters with loading capacity of 600 tonnes per hour shore to ship automatic conveyor. Ideal for delivery of aggregates to London wharves or coastal locations and major city projects. The sustainable alternative to road deliveries by HGV. Length 100 metres. Depth of Water 11.41 metres MHWS (5.1 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Bulk storage of aggregates 30,000 tonnes. Access A2/M2/M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Sea-Dredged Aggregates. Self-discharge vessels only - ship to shore conveyor.
JJ Prior Ltd Brewery Wharf Deptford Prior House, Ballast Quay Road, Fingringhoe, Colchester, Essex CO5 7DB Tel: (01206) 729412 Email: sales@jjprior.co.uk www.jjprior.co.uk Contact Jonathan Dix, General Manager/Director Tel: (01206) 729412 Map reference 6 Berths 1. Length 43 metres. Depth of Water 5.23 metres MHWS. Cranes 4.25-tonne Bulk Handling. Cargo Accommodation Open and Bin Storage. Access Central London/A2. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Aggregates.
Keltbray Group Holdings Ltd Thames Wharf Canning Town Dock Road, Silvertown, London E16 1AF Tel: (020) 7476 4076 Email: reception@keltbray.com www.keltbray.com Contact Cliff Burton, Managing Director Email: cliff.burton@keltbray.com Tel: (020) 7643 1000 Map reference 9
Keltbray Environmental Ltd Plaistow Wharf Canning Town Dock Road, Silvertown, London E16 1AF Tel: (020) 7476 4076 Email: reception@keltbray.com www.keltbray.com Contact Cliff Burton, Managing Director Email: cliff.burton@keltbray.com Tel: (020) 7643 1000 Map reference 9
Berths 1. Length 185 metres. Depth of Water 5.91 metres MHWS. Cargo Accommodation Open Storage 1 Hectare. Access Close connections to national motorway network, A13, A406 and Blackwall Tunnel. Cranes Bulk Grabbing Cranes. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Approved Customs. Specialisation Main commodities handled - waste, construction materials, aggregates and recycled materials. Other Facilities 50-tonne Weighbridge.
Berths 1. Length 100 metres. Depth of Water 6.25 metres MHWS. Cargo Accommodation Open Storage 2 Hectare. Access Via North Woolwich Road/ Silvertown Way and Dock Road, Silvertown Close connections to national motorway network, A13, A406 and Blackwall Tunnel. Cranes Bulk Grabbing Cranes. Specialisation Main commodities handled - waste, construction materials and recycled materials. Other Facilities 50-tonne Weighbridge.
Dry bulks
McGrath Group Rippleway Wharf Barking Creek 54-56 River Road, Barking, Essex G11 0DW Tel: (0845) 548 5500 or (0845) 658 8391 Email: info@mcgrathgroup.co.uk www.mcgrathgroup.co.uk Contacts Pat McGrath Tel: (0845) 548 5500 Tara Donaghy, Tel: (0845) 548 5500 Map reference 18 Berths 1 Open Berth. Length of Berth 250 metres. Depth of Water 5.0 metres MHWS. Cranes 2 Sumitomo Cranes. Liebherr Hydraulic Dock Cranes with grabs. Cargo Accommodation Total Site 10 Acres. 2.5 Acres under cover. Access Close to A13, A406, M11 and M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Approved Customs. Specialisation Aggregates, Timber Products and General Cargoes.
Purfleet Aggregates Ltd West Thurrock London Road, West Thurrock, Grays, Essex RM20 3NL Tel: (01708) 865410 Contact Steve Chidgey, Area Manager Tel: (020) 8984 1900 Map reference 36 Berths 2 Dolphins each berth 2 dedicated to own dredgers. Depth of Water 11.98 metres MHWS (5.4 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Marine Aggregates. Access A13, A127 and M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Marine Aggregates dredging and processing. 2 Receiving Hoppers, 1,800 tph. Civil & Marine Slag Cement Ltd and Hanson Aggregates Marine joint-venture discharge conveyors for self-discharging vessels.
Stema Shipping (UK) Ltd Stema operate two wharves on the Thames handling sand, gravel and aggregates– at Red Lion Wharf in Northfleet and at the Port of Tilbury. The company had a very busy 2019, recording another record year for import of aggregates through its Thames terminals. Red Lion Wharf, owned by Stema, has a 220-metre jetty with depth alongside of seven metres and six acres of open storage for imported aggregates. About 1,350,000 tonnes of sand, gravel and aggregates from Stema’s own quarries in Norway, and sand from Denmark, are imported through this facility. The facility has a modern conveyor belt to accommodate loading of aggregates onto barges and vessels, the company is looking at ways of increasing this volume. At Tilbury, Stema operates at 1 Berth, where it has 10.5 metres water depth and a 2.75 acre
site. At present it handles about 800,000 tonnes at Tilbury. Jelsa Quarry with an output of 12.5 million tonnes a year is the largest coastal aggregates quarry in the world. The company contracted the building of two 40,000t vessels in 2019 (for delivery 2020 and 2021) to increase their already modern and energy efficient fleet of vessels. A key strength for Stema is its fully independent supply of aggregates with an integrated supply chain from quarry through to delivery to the end user.
Stema Shipping (UK) Ltd Red Lion Wharf Northfleet Red Lion Wharf, Crete Hall Road, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9AA Tel: (01375) 857890 www.mibau-stema.de/en/ Contact Martin Johansen Email: enquiries@stemauk.co.uk Tel: (01375) 857890 Sales Email: enquiries@stemauk.co.uk Tel: (01375) 857890 Map reference 49 Berths 1. Length 240 metres. Depth of Water 14.06 metres MHWS (7.7 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation 6 acres of open storage (in use). Access Easy access to A2 and M25. Specialisation Accommodation for self-discharging vessels - minimum 45 metres outreach of self-discharging equipment required. Aggregates & Sub-Base-Type 1 Material.
Dry bulks
Tarmac Tarmac, a CRH company, is the UK’s leading sustainable building materials and construction solutions business. The company has over 150 years of experience and directly employs around 8,000 people across a nationwide network of over 400 sites. Its solutions span aggregates, asphalt, cement, lime, readymix concrete, road contracting and highways services and building products. Its innovative products and solutions not only help to safely deliver the infrastructure needed to grow the UK economy today but also help to create a more sustainable built environment for the country’s long-term future. Tarmac has a number of operations along the tidal Thames, at Northfleet, Charlton, Erith and Thurrock. Between them, these sites distribute millions of tonnes
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of cement, marine-dredged sand and gravel, and crushed rock aggregate throughout the London and South East by road, rail and water. The business has contributed to a number of prestigious projects from its wharves on the Thames, including the Channel Tunnel terminus at King’s Cross/ St Pancras, the Emirates Stadium, Canary Wharf, the Millennium Dome, the Olympic athletes’ village, Crossrail and the M25. Murphy’s Wharf, on the Greenwich peninsula, for example, is ideally placed to supply east and central London, being located on the south of the River Thames and near the Blackwall Tunnel. It is believed to be the largest marine aggregate terminal in Europe in terms of output, capable of operating 24/7 and complemented by an onsite concrete plant which supplies ready-mix concrete into the local market. Nearly half of all material made at the facility is transported to customers by rail. During 2013, a new rail loading facility and primary screens were installed to expand this capability. The sites at Riverside Wharf (Charlton), Mulberry Wharf (Belvedere) and Pioneer Wharf
(Erith) complement the Murphy’s Wharf operation, providing additional capacity and flexibility to supply the Kent and south/east London markets. The sites at Greenwich (Brewery Wharf) and Silvertown (Dock Road Wharf) both produce ready-mix concrete using aggregates transported to them by barge. Tarmac’s cement and aggregates distribution hub at West Thurrock combines a deepwater wharf with rail-loading facilities and excellent access to the local road network. The wharf allows ships to discharge at all times, regardless of the tide. The material is processed on site ready for onward distribution by road or rail. In 2015, Tarmac enhanced its facilities at Thurrock for marinedredged aggregates boosting both production capability and reliance at this location. Northfleet is a notable success story. The former cement plant has been demolished and the company is planning for a new operation that will enable it to supply essential construction
materials to and from the site by river, road and rail. A cement import cement terminal is operational at Northfleet and planning permission has been granted for an aggregates terminal to make use of the site’s deepwater wharf (42 Wharf) and its proximity to London. Tarmac has reconnected its rail freight facilities at Northfleet to the main north Kent line. The new line was used up to 2014 to transport excavated material from the Crossrail tunnels in London, reducing HGV movements out of the capital. At Northfleet, the excavated material was then transferred to ship for the final part of its journey along the Thames to enhance the RSPB nature reserve at Wallasea Island in Essex.
Tarmac Trading Ltd Murphy’s Wharf Charlton Lombard Wall, Charlton, London SE7 8SH Tel: (020) 8858 3444 www.tarmac.com Contacts Steven Wallis, Area Operations Manager Email: steven.wallis@tarmac.com Tel: (07860) 260492 Map reference 13 Berths 1 - Mainly dedicated to own dredgers. Length 143 metres (43 metres walkway). Depth of Water 10.87 metres MHWS (3.8 metres Chart Datum). Access A2/M2/M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Aggregates. Receiving hopper and discharging conveyors 2,200 tph to receive self-discharging vessels. On-site Readymix concrete plant. Tarmac Trading Ltd Pioneer Wharf Erith Church Manorway, Erith, Kent DA8 1DE Tel: (01322) 444710 www.tarmac.com Contacts Steven Wallis, Area Operations Manager Email: steven.wallis@tarmac.com Tel: (07860) 260492 Map reference 28
Tarmac Trading Ltd West Thurrock Oliver Close, West Thurrock Grays, Essex RM20 3EE Tel: (01708) 864857 Fax: (01708) 864987 www.tarmac.com Contact Steven Wallis, Area Operations Manager Email: steven.wallis@tarmac.com Tel: (07860) 260492 Map reference 37
Berths 1. Length 298.7 metres. Depth of Water 16.06 metres MHWS (9.7 metres at Chart Datum). Access To national road network via A2 and M25. Equipment Kovako Ship Unloader HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Bulk Powder Import. Export Cement.
Berths 1. Length 40 metres - can accommodate ships up to 70 metres, normally handles cargoes up to 1,400 tonnes. Depth of Water 5.77 metres MHWS. Cranes 1 x 200 tph - minimal tracking. Equipment Loading shovels. Cargo Accommodation Minimal open storage only. Access Close to A2, A102(M) and A13 (via Blackwall Tunnel). HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Site storage for aggregates only for the manufacture of road coating materials. This facility is able to off-load aggregates to a riverside receiving hopper only, which is then transferred via conveyors to stockpile bays. Vessels above 1,000 tonnes need to be moved along the berth as discharge takes place. Tarmac Trading Ltd Thurrock Marine Terminal West Thurrock West Thurrock, Grays, Essex RM20 3EE Tel: (01708) 685300 www.tarmac.com Contacts Paul Tovey, Area Production Manager Email: paul.tovey@tarmac.com Mob: (07702) 632091 Map reference 37 Berths 1. Length 190 metres. Depth of Water 14.78 metres MHWS (9.2 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation 4 x 70,000-tonne storage silos. Access To national road network via A13 and M25. Equipment Kovako Pneumatic Ship Unloader HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Other Facilities Bagging plant; blending plant; private weighbridges; despatch department; general offices. Specialisation Marine Aggregates dredging and processing. Receiving hoppers and 1,600 tph discharge conveyors for self-discharging vessels Import, sale and distribution by road of bulk cement throughout UK. Blending of specialised cement-based products. Use as lay-by berth permitted.
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Dry bulks
Berths 1. Length 190 metres. Depth of Water 15.5 metres MHWS (8.5 metres at Chart Datum). Cargo Accommodation Marine Aggregates only. Access To national road network via A13 and M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Marine Aggregates dredging and processing. Receiving hoppers and 1,600 tph discharge conveyors for self-discharging vessels. Cargo Hauliers (Marine Aggregates only). Use as lay-by berth permitted.
Tarmac Trading Ltd 42 Wharf Northfleet Northfleet Works, The Shore, Northfleet, Kent DA11 9AN Tel: (01474) 531500 www.tarmac.com Contacts John Cox, Operations Manager Email: john.cox@tarmac.com Tel: (01708) 685300 Steven Quinn, Manufacturing Manager Email: steven.quinn@tarmac.com Tel: (01708) 685300 Map reference 47
Berths 1 - Mainly dedicated to own dredgers. Length 160 metres (43 metres walkway). Depth of Water 13.58 metres MHWS (6.8 metres Chart Datum). Access A2/M /M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Limited Approval. Specialisation Aggregates. Two separate receiving hoppers and conveyors 1,800 tph to receive self-discharging vessels.
Tarmac Trading Ltd Riverside Wharf Charlton Charlton Plant, Riverside Wharf, Herringham Road, Charlton, London SE7 8SJ Tel: (020) 8858 3444 www.tarmac.com Contacts Iain Blackaller, Area Manager Email: iain.blackaller@tarmac.com Tel: 07803 953618 Kevin Riley, Plant Supervisor Email: kevin.riley@tarmac.com Tel: (020) 8858 3444 Map reference 14
T&L Sugars The T & L Sugars Thames Refinery at Silvertown is one of the largest cane sugar refineries in the world. The 18-hectare site can process 160 tonnes of raw sugar an hour, with an annual capacity of up to 1.1 million tonnes per annum. There is bulk storage for 65,000 tonnes, together with 2,000 tonnes of storage capacity for palletised refined sugar for export. The 161-metre raw sugar jetty has a guaranteed minimum depth of 10 metres at low water and receives up to 50 vessels each year in a range of sizes from 4,000 to 58,000 dwt. Raw sugar is imported by Tate & Lyle Sugars from a variety of suppliers. Some of these are granted preferential access to the EU under agreements with the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific), LDC (Least Developed Countries) and MFN (Most Favoured Nations), and under the terms of Free Trade Agreements with Central and South American suppliers, together with sugar from world market suppliers such as Brazil. Refined sugar and specialist products are transported directly
to domestic retail and industrial customers from the site, either packed or as bulk dry and liquid products, and are also exported by ship or container worldwide. The 48-metre export jetty alongside the refinery can handle vessels of more than 3,000 dwt. The raw sugar jetty is equipped with two cranes, each with a capacity of 16 tonnes, installed in 2007. These, together with current stevedoring arrangements, ensure that raw sugar discharge at the refinery is a world-class operation. Since 2008, Tate & Lyle Sugars has supported many farmers’ organisations to become Fairtrade certified. Today Tate & Lyle Sugars sources Fairtrade sugar from thousands of small-scale cane farmers in different groups in four countries.
Tate & Lyle Sugars Thames Refinery Silvertown Thames Refinery, Silvertown, London E16 2EW Tel: (020) 7476 4455 or (020) 7540 1271 www.tateandlylesugars.com Contact Bob Woods, Port Operations Manager Tel: (020) 7540 1271 Map reference 15 Berths Raw Sugar Jetty (Imports). Refined Jetty (Exports). Shore Berth (Imports). Raw Sugar Jetty Length 161 metres. Depth of Water 17.03 metres MHWS (10.0 metres at Chart Datum). Refined Jetty Length 48 metres. Depth of Water 8.73 metres MHWS (1.7 metres at Chart Datum). Shore Berth Length 180 metres. Depth of Water 3.03 metres MHWS.
Cargo Accommodation Raw Sugar in Bulk: 72,000 tonnes. Export Refined Sugar. Palletised: 2,000 tonnes. Access A406, A13, M11, M25. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Sugar. Edible oils. Specialisation Sugar refiner. Equipment 2 x 25 tonnes NDC grabbing cranes 16 tonnes grab capacity each. Agents T&L Sugars Ltd trading as Kentships, Thames Refinery, Silvertown, London E16 2EW Tel: (020) 7540 1401 or (020) 7540 1188 Email: kentships@asr-group.com Imports from Fiji, Caribbean, Africa, Central and South America. Exports to World-wide.
Thames Recycling Barking 78 River Road, Barking, London IG11 0DS Tel: (020) 8594 1002 Mobile: (07860) 396808 Fax: (020) 8594 7035 Email: md@gregorydemolition.co.uk www.gregorydemolition.co.uk Contact Dean Gregory, Managing Director Tel: (020) 8594 1002 Mobile: (07860) 396808 Map reference 20 Berths 1. Length 200 metres plus 3 dolphins for 3 x 7,000 ton vessels. Depth of Water 4 metres minimum. Terminal Equipment New conveyors for aggregates and cements installed. Access 15 minutes into central London by main A406 and 10 minutes to M25 and Dartford Bridge. Cargo Accommodation 5 acres to accommodate 100,000 tonnes of aggregates. Specialisation The company recycles imported aggregates for the new onsite washing, concrete and block making plants installed producing concrete products for the London and associated areas markets.
Van Dalen Ltd Dagenham Perry Road, Dagenham Essex, RM9 6QD Tel: (020) 8984 1888 Mobile: (07787) 513772 Email: dgreen@vandalen.co.uk www.vandalenrecycling.nl Map reference 24
For other Terminals handling dry bulks see... Stema Shipping (UK) page 126, map reference 58.
Berths 1 -Â Suitable for vessels up to 5,000 DWCC. Length Quay length 68.58 metres - can accommodate vessels up to 100 metres. Depth of Water 6.65 metres MHWS. Terminal Equipment New conveyors for aggregates and cements installed. Access Close connection to national motorway system by upgraded A13 and A406. HM Revenue & Customs Sufferance Full Approval. Cargo Accommodation 1.2Â Acres Open Storage. Specialisation Trading Metal Recycling, Processing, Export, Collection, Demolition and Skip Service. Loading/Discharging Dry Bulk Cargoes. Other Information Group Head Office: Arnold House, Blackburn Road Rotherham, South Yorkshire S61 2DW Tel: (01709) 560200
Dry bulks
Port of Tilbury The Port of Tilbury is the largest multipurpose deep water port on the River Thames. Due to the Port’s proximity to Greater London and the South East (i.e. 70% of Britain’s population is within a 120 mile radius of Tilbury), Tilbury delivers lower supply chain costs and a lower carbon footprint for its customers using its developed multi-modal transport platforms. The Port handles 16 million tonnes per annum, with Tilbury projected to double that throughput to 32 million tonnes over the next 15-20 years. The port handles over 3,000 ships per year and over 13,000 road vehicles are handled per day. With its own dedicated Crown Police Force, the port has full International Security (ISPS) compliance and full AEO accreditation from HMRC both in terms of security and customs procedures. Tilbury2 is Tilbury’s new expansion project, the developments include a ro-ro terminal and a construction material aggregate terminal, moving more capacity to supporting the import and export of materials for a range of sectors. 124 Port of London Handbook
Port of Tilbury London Ltd Tilbury Leslie Ford House, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7EH Tel: (01375) 852200 Fax: (01375) 855 106 Email: info@potll.com www.forthports.co.uk www.Tilbury2.co.uk Contacts Port of Tilbury London Limited (POTLL) Mr Paul Dale, Asset and Site Director Email: paul.dale@potll.com Mr Peter Ward, Commercial Director Email: peter.ward@potll.com Mr John Speakman, Senior Asset Manager (Property) Email: john.speakman@potll.com London Container Terminal (LCT) Mr Ross McKissock, Asset Manager Email: ross.mckissock@potll.com Map reference 58
Asset Areas The Port of Tilbury’s cargo handling activities are divided into six operational areas. Each asset is equipped with modern facilities capable of handling the full range of cargo types. London Container Terminal Specialists in containerised flows from Europe, Africa and South America with facilities to cater for Food & Drink, Fresh Produce, General Retail & Construction cargoes. Rail linked to Midlands & Scotland. Conventional Offers a range of import and export commodities in forest products, car handling, ro-ro, general cargo and ferry services. This reflects the flexibility and diversity of the asset. Grain/Bulks Are specialists in handling all types of grain cargo and other bulk commodities (Aggregates, Animal Feeds and recyclables) and equally provide high speed tipping facilities for road vehicles as well as storage and blending facilities. London Paper Terminal The natural distribution point for paper products of all kinds. Enterprise Distribution Centre Is a state-of-the-art automated handling and warehouse facility designed to provide world-class handling facilities for imported paper products. Cruise Terminal & London Moorings A purpose-built cruise facility accommodating cruise calls to London with supporting passenger and baggage facilities along with suitable event
and conference facilities. The London moorings allow for cruise ships and super yachts to moor in the heart of London at Greenwich Ship Tier, Tower Bridge Upper Tier and George’s Stair Tier. Access/Transport Links Closest multi-purpose port to London. Road A1089/A13/M25 - just seven miles from M25 motorway. Rail Three Rail Terminals - direct rail link to national rail network. Tilbury Town railway station is situated adjacent to the port offering regular passenger services to Central London. Sea 56 operational berths with dedicated shipping agents/barge facilities and 10.2 km of Quay. HM Revenue & Customs There are resident HM Revenue & Customs officers and staff. Customs approval varies from berth to berth, but all have full approval for the commodities and services that they handle. Full examination facilities are available. Other Facilities Lorry parks. Refuelling haulage facilities. Commercial office properties. 5 million square feet of undercover warehousing within the port including chilled and ambient warehouses. External yard areas to support consolidation hubs.
Cefetra Ltd Dry Bulk Terminal The Lightyear Building Glasgow Airport Business Park Marchburn Drive, Glasgow PA3 2SJ Tel: (0141) 445 7326 Mobile: (07769) 697238 www.cefetra.co.uk Contacts Michael Brennand Email: brennand@cefetra.co.uk Tel: (07966) 330036 Paul Mooney Email: mooney@cefetra.co.uk Tel: (07714) 136293 Sarah Bell, Commercial,Quality and Health & Safety Manager Email: bell@cefetra.co.uk Tel: (07769) 697238 Map reference 58
Berths 4: Berths 7-10. Length 285 metres. Authorised Depth of Water 10.5 metres. Cargo Accommodation Terminal: 8.5 acres. Equipment Loesche Vertical Grinding Mill for cement grinding. Controlled overhead loading of road powder tankers from the terminal. White Cement Bagging Plant. 4,500-tonne White Cement Silo. Specialisation Import, sale and distribution by road of bulk cement and cementitious products throughout South-East England. Other Facilities Private weighbridge; despatch department; general offices.
Denholm UK Logistics Ltd Tilbury 34 Berth, Port of Tilbury Essex RM18 7DN Tel: (01375) 857741 www.denholm-uklogistics.com Contacts Terry Quilter, Regional Site Manager SE Email: terry.quilter@ denholm-uklogisics.com Tel: (01375) 852033 Mob: (07718) 580936 Map reference 58 Equipment 3-5 tonne capacity Forklift trucks for container working including clamps. Internal Dock shunters/trailers for container transfers and cargo transfers within the port. Mobile container unloading ramps. Various counterbalance forklift trucks. Undercover Cargo Accommodation 83,000 square feet. Outside Cargo Storage 160,000+ square feet. Specialisation Multi-user dedicated terminal for unpackingcontainerised Plywood and other Forest products. Unpacking of Brick and Indian stone and various other commodities.
European Metal Recycling Ltd Tilbury European Metal Recycling Ltd, Manor Road, Erith, Kent DA8 2AD Tel: (01322) 336970 or (0845) 2661854 Email: ukinfo@emrgroup.com www.emrgroup.com Contacts Mark Horsley, Commercial Manager Tel: (01322) 336970 Mob: (07970) 082848 Martin Thompson, Depot Manager Email: martin.thompson@emrgroup.com Tel: (01375) 852797 Mob: 07976 861948 Map reference 58 Berths Suitable for 4 vessels up to 55,000 DWCC Length 960 metres. Authorised Depth of Water 10.5 metres. Cargo Accommodation Open storage for handling varying kinds of scrap metal and other bulk cargoes. Equipment Range of equipment for handling scrap metal and other bulk cargoes, including 3 gantry cranes with lifting capacities ranging from 20-30 tonnes. Specialisation Largest scrap handling dock in south east England.
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Port of Tilbury
Berths 5/6. Quay Length 180 metres. Depth of Water 10.5 metres. Cargo Accommodation 60,000 tonnes covered storage. Specialisation Import/export of animal feedstuffs.
CEMEX UK Cement Grinding Facility Tilbury Port of Tilbury, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7LA Tel: (01375) 856221 Contacts Gavin Cowen, Plant Director Tel: (01375) 856617 Kevin Hockley, Maintenance Manager Tel: (01375) 843502 Tony Drake, Operations Manager Tel: (01375) 856268 Map reference 58
London City Bond Ltd Tilbury 29-30 Berth, Port of Tilbury, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7EH Tel: (0845) 4989918 Email: sales@lcb.co.uk www.lcb.co.uk Contacts David Hogg, Sales Director Email: sales@lcb.co.uk Tel: (0845) 4989918 Michael Stone, Tilbury Director Email: sales@lcb.co.uk Tel: (0845) 4989918 Map reference 58 Berths Berths 29 and 30. Length 350 metres. Depth of Water 11.2 metres (non-tidal). Cranes 10-tonne and 15-tonne SWL shore cranes. Equipment Full range of mechanical handling equipment. Cargo Accommodation 32,500 square metres quayside temperature controlled storage facility plus 7,875 square metres insulated ambient shed. 5 Acre Site. Specialisation High Security Tax Warehousing and Distribution. Full Import/Export HMRC Approved. Advanced IT and Supply Chain Management. National Distribution for Picked Orders. No Trading Interest. Normal Hours of Working 06.00-17.00 Monday to Friday. Extended evening and weekend opening subject to demand.
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Seacon (SG) Ltd Tilbury Tela House, 47C Berth, Port of Tilbury, Essex RM18 7EH Tel: (01375) 488600 Email: contact.us@seacon.co.uk www.seacon.co.uk Contacts Martin Phillips, Commercial Director Email: mphillips@seacon.co.uk Tel: (01375) 488609 Mob: (07469) 700648 Map reference 58 Specialisation Forest products Storage, handling and distribution Shunting, cross-docking 23,000 square metres Fully integrated EDI-capable WMS. Normal Hours of Working 07.00-17.00 Monday to Friday.
Stema Shipping (UK) Ltd Tilbury 1 Berth, Port of Tilbury, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7JT Tel: (01375) 857890 www.mibau-stema.de/en/ Contacts Martin Johansen Email: enquiries@stemauk.co.uk Tel: (01375) 857890 Sales Email: enquiries@stemauk.co.uk Tel: (01375) 857890 Map reference 58 Berths 1 In-Dock Berth. Depth Alongside: 10.5 metres (non-tidal). Length 202 metres. Equipment Loading Shovel, Grab Crane available on demand Cargo Accommodation 2.03 acres of open storage area. Weighbridge facility. Specialisation Accommodation for self discharging vessels. Aggregates, Sub-Base-Type 1 Material.
The Logistics Terminal Tilbury 46A Berth, Shed 46D&E Tilbury Docks, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7HS Tel: (01375) 843269 Mobile: (07710) 998697 Email: info@tlterminal.co.uk www.tlterminal.co.uk Contacts Mike Brown, Managing Partner Email: mike.brown@tlterminal.co.uk Tel: (020) 8123 8366 Map reference 58 Cargo Accommodation General import/export Bonded warehouse - ambient temperature. Fully secured with CCTV and night patrols. Collection, de-vanning and restitution of containers. Specialisation Port Centric logistics provider. Secure bonded warehousing. Customs clearance and T1 forms. 24 hour secure storage with full stock control. Onward delivery of de-vanned products, including palletised and non-palletised loads. Full distribution service. Full container collection and restitution service. Equipment On-site fork lift equipment. Specialist equipment (including reel clamps, extended forks) and Ramps.
Tilbury Cold Store Ltd Tilbury Berth 29, Port of Tilbury, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7SX Tel: (01375) 844266 Mobile: (07970) 052962 www.tilburycoldstore.com Contacts Kelly Dennis, Office Manager Email: kelly.dennis@tilburycoldstore.com Tel: (01375) 844266 Simon Dunne, Operations/Site Manager Email: simon.dunne@tilburycoldstore.com Tel: (01375) 844266 Map reference 58 Berths Berth 29. Storage Facilities 45,951 cubic metres, (1,624,000 cubic feet) quayside temperature controlled storage facilities comprising five chambers and a temperature controlled marshalling area. Storage capacity of 10,000 pallets. Services Include post-stevedore handling, container stuffing/unstuffing, storage, order picking, freezing, tempering, packing, labelling and stock control. The facilities are EC and Customs approved. Inspection and distribution facilities are also available.
Port of Tilbury Port of London Handbook 127
Advertisers’ Directory For a full Port Directory please visit www.portoflondonhandbook.com/ business-directory
McGrath Group Outside Back Cover 0845 548 5500 mcgrathgroup.co.uk Medtow Marine Ltd Page 100 Tel: +44 (0)7831 168996
Adam Chartering Ltd Page 54 Tel: +44 (0)1245 359191 www.adamchartering.co.uk Armac Shipping Services Ltd Page 100 Tel: +44 (0)1634 712699 www.armacshipping.com Armitt Group Page 100 Tel: +44 (0)1928 575926 www.armitt.co.uk Beckett Rankine Marine Consulting Engineers Page 28 Tel: +44 (0)207 834 7267 www.beckettrankine.com Boluda Towage Europe Page 16 Tel: +44 (0)1375 641288 www.boluda.eu Brett Group Page 60 Tel: +44 (0)1227 829000 www.brett.co.uk Certas Energy Page 56-57 Tel: +44 (0)345 600 4040 www.certasenergy.co.uk CLDN Group Page 96 Tel: +44 (0)1366 858 367 www.cobelfret.com Compass Handbooks Page 116 Tel: +44 (0)1708 684970 www.compass-publications.co.uk Concrete Repairs Ltd Page 2 Tel: +44 (0)20 8288 4848 www.concrete-repairs.co.uk DP World London Gateway Page 36 www.londongateway.com DP World London Gateway Logistics Park Page 34 www.londongateway.com ET Marine & Industrial Engineering Co Ltd Page 74 Tel: +44 (0)375 378282 www.etmarine.com GPS Marine Contractors Ltd Page 28 and 30 Tel: +44 (0)1634 892010 www.gpsmarine.co.uk Graham Group Page 78 Tel: +44 (0)28 9268 9500 www.graham.co.uk HCH Marine Ltd Page 116 Tel: +44 (0)1474 709024 www.hchmarine.com InterTerminals Page 98 Tel: +44 (0)7801 657 939 www.interterminals.com Land and Water Page 34 Tel: +44 (0)844 225 1958 www.land-water.co.uk
Medway Diving Contractors Ltd Page 54 Tel: +44 (0)1634 829818 www.medwaydiving.co.uk National Maritime Training Centre Page 54 Tel: +44 (0)1322 629600 www.northkent.ac.uk/nmtc Navigator Terminals Page 8 Tel: +44 (0)1708 863399 www.navigatorterminals.com Oikos Storage Ltd Page 74 Tel: +44 (0)1268 682206 www.oikos.co.uk PLA Cruise Page 42 Tel: +44 (0)1375 852360 www.pla.co.uk PLA Marine Services Inside Back Cover Tel: +44 (0)1474 582207/562421 www.pla.co.uk PLA Marine Surveyors Page 74 Tel: +44 (0)1474 562441 www.pla.co.uk Port of Tilbury (London) Ltd Inside Front Cover Tel: +44 (0)1375 852 200 www.forthports.co.uk Seacon Group Ltd Page 6 Tel: +44 (0)1474 320000 www.seacongroup.co.uk Seath Instruments Page 98 Tel: +44 (0)1502 573811 www.seath-haztec.com Shell GTL Fuel Page 56-57 Tel: +44 (0)345 600 4040 www.certasenergy.co.uk Shell Haven Page 36 Tel: +44 (0)1375 644395 www.shell.co.uk Southbay Civil Engineering Page 60 Tel: +44 (0)191 293 2244 www.southbaycivils.co.uk Stolthaven Dagenham Page 42 Tel: +44 (0)20 7076 0860 www.stolt.com Svitzer Towage A/S Page 18 Tel: +45 39 19 39 19 www.svitzer.com S Walsh & Sons Ltd Page 40 Tel: +44 (0)277 814200 www.swalsh.com Thames Marine Academy Page 60 Tel: +44 (0)7703 842852 www.ThamesMarineAcademy.co.uk Thames Marine Services Page 14 Tel: +44 (0)203 935 4814 www.thamesmarineservices.co.uk Tom Bourne & Partners Page 30 Tel: +44 (0)1795 880683 www.tombourneandpartners.co.uk Transfennica (UK) Ltd Page 110 Tel: +44 (0)1375 363 900 www.transfennica.com Van Oord UK Ltd Page 30 Tel: +44 (0)1273 494843 www.vanoord.com WPH Marine Construction Page 28 Tel: +44 (0)1795 422764 www.wphmarine.com
128 Port of London Handbook
Enhance your environmental performance Our wharfs at Barking Creek can accommodate vessels up to 100m which can be loaded or discharged directly at our Materials Recycling Facility
Saves time – no traffic congestion Saves money – on fuel travelling to landfill sites Minimises your carbon footprint Open 24/7 by prior arrangement
0845 548 5500 | info@mcgrathgroup.co.uk | www.mcgrathgroup.co.uk