Old Royal Naval College News

Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan explains why the global trade association is poised to take its work to the next level.While I respect the mantra of cautious optimism, I can’t help feeling genuinely excited that 2019 could prove to be a milestone year in the continuing growth of Interferry’s influence as the global voice of the ferry industry. We’ve come a long way since our US origins in 1976 as what was essentially a networking movement, but developments in recent months already suggest we are on course for yet more enhancement of our present-day worldwide networking and lobbying relationships.

A call for papers addressing transformational change has been launched by global trade association Interferry ahead of its 44th annual conference in London this October.The conference theme is Innovation – and CEO Mike Corrigan stresses that preference will be given to topics highlighting step change rather than incremental improvements. “We want to explore ideas that could revolutionize every aspect of the ferry industry,” he notes. “That might cover anything from customer service, ticketing and IT to ship and terminal design, propulsion, insurance and finance.

London welcomed home the 12-strong fleet of the biennial Clipper Round the World yacht race, Saturday, July 30, 2016. Twelve teams celebrated the completion of the 40,000-nautical-mile ocean race — the world's longest — by sailing up the River Thames and under London's iconic Tower Bridge. The fleet began its parade at the Thames Barrier, and passed London landmarks such as Greenwich's Old Royal Naval College, The O2 Arena, Canary Wharf and historic Wapping. Tower Bridge lifted twice for the twelve teams, which all passed through in front of thousands of spectators on supporter boats who turned out to cheer home the international sailors into the UK capital.

Large cruise ships could become a familiar sight on the Thames if plans for a new passenger terminal in Greenwich move forward. London could soon become a popular destination for large cruise ships in two years as new passenger terminal planned for Greenwich. It would be the first passenger terminal in London for at least 35 years. The Times reports that detailed plans for the terminal will be submitted “within weeks”, allowing it to open “within two years”. The dockside hub could allow ships more than 650ft long to stop near the Old Royal Naval College and the Cutty Sark. At the moment, there are two moorings for small cruise ships in the capital: a small floating pontoon in Greenwich, which requires passengers to board or disembark via a launch, and another at Tower Bridge.

The awards ceremony for the competition took place at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich last night, where the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, announced the winners. This year's entries included photos from naval photographers deployed in Afghanistan, and on counter-piracy operations and other operations both abroad and in the UK. This year's winning portfolio came from Leading Airman (Photographer) Arron Hoare, who captured the Antarctic's dramatic winter wilderness while he served on the ice patrol ship HMS Protector.