THE PORT OF LONDON AUTHORITY MAGAZINE b ISSUE 7 b SPRING 2009 t n e m m o C Simon Sherrard 2009 marks the centenary of the Port of country. The PLA’s core responsibility of London Authority. For a hundred years it safety of navigation continues and each has been our proud year we oversee the responsibility to movement of more than help all river users 10,000 large ships on make the most of the river. the Thames, safely. The prospects for the In our early Port of London and the years our challenge Thames look surprisingly was to make sure good, in spite of the that the Port was uncertain economic Editor: able to operate as times. People will Doug Kempster the lynchpin of continue to need the Design: what was at the fuel, food and other Eureka Marketing Solutions time the world’s essentials that come 020 7801 1480 leading trading through the Port. There Photographers: nation. This is also significant Andy Wallace Samuel Ashfield involved bringing investment planned in John Neligan order to a chaotic new facilities and Ferrari Press Agency Gavin Parsons and crowded river, interest in using the river Museum of London making sure the for moving goods and Damen Shipyards RNLI Gravesend approach channels materials is at an Thames Water were deep enough unprecedented level for University of Southern Denmark and investing in the most modern cargo- projects including the Olympics, Crossrail Port of London Authority handling technology of the day. and the Thames Tunnel. We will continue London River House Through the subsequent years we to do our job working with many other Royal Pier Road Gravesend addressed a series of different challenges. organisations to make sure that the DA12 2BG, UK The Port made its invaluable contribution various aspirations can be accommodated Enquiries: in two world wars and within 20 years of on our busy river safely, efficiently [email protected] Telephone: World War II ending, the Port was and securely. 01474 562 305 handling the most cargo in its history. For more information But, a technological revolution saw ships on the Port of London increase in size and move down river in Authority, go to: search of deeper waters. www.pla.co.uk Today the PLA is no longer directly Simon Sherrard involved in cargo handling; nevertheless Chairman London is the second largest Port in the Port of London Authority 2 Divers have started mapping the remains of an Elizabethan ship that was raised from the Thames Estuary. The underwater archaeologists from the University of Southern Denmark are studying the Gresham wreck as part of a major research project that’s being supported by the Port of London Authority (Tidal Thames 3). The ship’s timbers, discovered in 2003 during a PLA survey of the Princes Channel, now lie in Horsea Lake, Portsmouth, where they’re being kept to prevent them drying out. The archaeologists’ findings will be Water Chiefs Get Ratty added to a raft of technical reports and research papers on the vessel that are Bosses at Europe’s largest sewage then bring the voles back to being highlighted at a series of works are rounding-up rare water Crossness to enjoy the new reed conferences over the next four years. The wreck became the authority’s voles. ditches we’ve created. responsibility once salvage teams The animals – the inspiration “Water voles are an important removed it from the shipping channel. for Ratty in Kenneth Grahame’s feature at Crossness where, over The hull, which dates back to around Wind in the Willows – have been recent years, we have re- 1574, is the only known well-preserved example of a small English merchantman thriving on the river’s marshes. established over 1.5km of from the Elizabethan period. But work to expand Thames ditches for them and have seen Water’s treatment facility at them thrive.” Crossness could endanger them if Thames Water and independent they remain in the area. wildlife experts have set their So conservation teams from the sights on 30 water voles which company are packing the are currently living around three protected species off to the coast sludge lagoons. while construction’s carried out. The conservation teams are Thames Water’s Martin Wagner using carrots and apples to entice said: “We want to make sure these the creatures out before bussing Port authority lock keeper Bert voles are not disturbed or hurt in them to the Wildwood Trust Wolff, who hauled a disabled man any way. sanctuary in Herne Bay, Kent. from the river at Richmond (Tidal “That’s why we’re transferring The extension to Crossness Thames 6), has been commended them to a breeding sanctuary in Sewage Works, which serves by the Metropolitan Police Service for “outstanding professionalism in Kent. around two million people, will the rescue of a drowning male and “They’re likely to stay there for boost treatment capacity by 44 the rendering of emergency life about two years, where we hope per cent. support saving the male’s life”. their numbers will increase. We’ll s w e Sailor’s Sleeping Bag Ordeal N r e Rescuers dragged a 15-year-old waves in seconds but a member v i girl from the Thames as she of the public, who’d witnessed R struggled to get free…of her the incident, dialled 999 and sleeping bag. asked for the coastguard. Boat crews found the teenager The caller was able to give the fighting for her life after they’d emergency services the yacht’s been called to assist a sinking last location, and three rescue yacht. vessels – the Port of London The vessel, holed beneath the Authority’s dive boat PLA Diver , waterline, went under so quickly the Gravesend lifeboat, and the that the girl didn’t have time to London Port Health Authority get clear of her bedding before launch Lady Aileen – were sent to the river came crashing in the scene. around her. PLA diving supervisor Kevin Her father, the yacht’s 45-year- Leadbetter said: “The sailors old skipper, tried to radio for were very lucky. The incident help, but was overwhelmed by happened pretty close to low the cold waters before he could water, when the current was give coastguards his position. almost slack. Any earlier or later And two other sailors, both 19, and the tide would have whipped who managed to reach the shore, them away. got trapped up to their knees in “There were also three rescue mud. vessels within striking distance, The incident happened in so help was on the scene within February when the 27 foot yacht, moments.” him in a very bad way. Muddy Waters , was on passage Kevin and the PLA divers Lifeboat helmsman Graham from Whitstable to London. moved straight in to secure the Tassell said: “He was only semi- The craft had been moving up sunken yacht, preventing it conscious and, despite being in Gravesend Reach when it sailed from sliding back out into the the water for such a short time, out of the safe channel and into river and becoming a hazard to his body temperature had waters off east Tilbury. other craft. dropped by about five degrees to Vessels normally avoid the The lifeboat and London Port a life-threatening level.” area because large man-made Health Authority vessel went Gary Ruddock, senior barriers or groynes – built to after the casualties. navigator aboard the Lady Aileen , keep the river channel clear of Of the four sailors, only the added: “The lifeboat rescued the sediment – lay just beneath the skipper was wearing a lifejacket, two people in the water and surface of the water. but the river’s temperature – just transferred them to the Lady Initial harbour master reports six degrees centigrade – had left Aileen . We gave them basic first suggest the aid then took them to Royal yacht struck Terrace Pier where an ambulance one of the paramedic was waiting. The groynes, lifeboat went back for the two suffering a people in the mud.” metre-long The mud rescue proved tear in its problematic for the lifeboatmen port (left) because the two 19-year-old side as its casualties, having reached the bilge keel ‘safety’ of the bank, were afraid ripped off. to get back in the water and The boat board the lifeboat. slipped Graham said: “Having got to beneath the the mud, they were reluctant to 4 come back into deeper water but we couldn’t get the lifeboat up to them at such a low tide. So our helmsman, Dave Greenfield, went over the side with a safety line attached and coaxed them back into the water so we could get them aboard the boat.” Back in the river, the PLA salvage vessel Crossness , which had been ordered into the area when the rescue was first launched, arrived at the scene. With the dive team, its crew lifted the stricken yacht off the river bed and took it to the port authority’s Denton jetty for further investigation. Harbour master Roy Stanbrook said: “Our initial enquiries suggest the boat hit a groyne. We certainly recovered the vessel from outside Whatever the outcome of the “Undoubtedly their information the safe shipping channel. investigation, coastguards are helped us direct rescue resources “But what’s not clear at this convinced the person who dialled to the sailors swiftly. Without that stage is why the yacht was sailing 999 and asked for their assistance prompt information, this incident among the groynes when they’re played a crucial role in the rescue.