River Thames News

Svitzer announced the delivery of Svitzer Estelle, the second tug built as part of the company’s ongoing partnership with Uzmar Shipyards, based in Turkey.Svitzer Estelle is a Robert Allan Ltd. designed RAstar 3200W that will be deployed by Svitzer on the River Thames and the River Medway,bolstering the company’s operations in the busy Port of London. The first tug delivered by Uzmar Shipyards in May 2023, Svitzer Elizabeth, is currently in service in the Port of Liverpool. Svitzer’s partnership with Uzmar Shipyards began with the delivery of two tugs for the company’s fleet in Australia.

SEA-KIT International has won funding from the U.K.'s Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition to design and manufacture a hydrogen-fueled uncrewed surface vessel (USV). The company will partner with maritime decarbonization disruptor, Marine2o, for the build of land-based infrastructure to produce green hydrogen, via renewable energy and the electrolysis of water, as part of the project.Dubbed ZEPHR - Zero Emissions Ports Hydrogen Refilling Survey Vessel, the project aims to extend vessel operation for port operators and stakeholders through complete energy transferal…

Harland & Wolff announced the completion of the first barge at its shipyard in Methil, Fife, since 1856.The barge, which has been built for waste management and recycling business Cory, will launch from Methil and be taken by sea to Cory’s lighterage site on the banks of the River Thames. It will join Cory’s existing fleet of tugs and barges, which are used to transport recyclable and non-recyclable waste via a series of river-based transfer stations across London.Matt Smith, General Manager of Harland & Wolff (Methil)…

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has highlighted that, on average, crew have under 11 minutes to recover someone who has fallen overboard into cold water before they become unresponsive.An analysis of 20 accidents that occurred between 2017 and 2021 shows that the time decreases as the water becomes colder or the sea state rougher. In some cases, crew had just four or five minutes to coordinate a complex recovery.When examining the rate of successful recoveries…

In the global quest for achieving net zero emissions and slowing down global warming, carbon capture and storage (CCUS) technology has emerged as an important solution. Among the notable projects being developed in the field is the Northern Lights offshore carbon capture and storage project in Norway, a country with long experience with offshore CO2 storage.The transition to a sustainable energy future requires innovative solutions that go beyond simply halting fossil fuel projects.

The OSIL Vibrocorer has been in use on the early works for the River Thames Scheme, a £600 million project to develop two new flood channel sections for the River Thames.The River Thames Scheme aims to reduce the risk of flooding for approximately 15,000 homes and businesses along the River Thames involving a series of measures, including new flood walls and embankments, improvements to existing flood defenses, and flood storage areas and diversion channels to temporarily hold…

A group of partners aiming to boost efficiency and sustainability for transporting goods in and around London has come together to trial shipping light freight on the River Thames.The non-profit Cross River Partnership (CRP) recently launched the London Light Freight River Trial, London’s first daily, multi-supplier, river freight trial, as part of the Defra-funded Clean Air Logistics for London project. The group has been working with the Port of London Authority (PLA), Lyreco UK & Ireland…

A self-propelled pontoon made entirely from standard scaffold components and fitted with a crane has been used for a project on the river Thames to install ladders, chains, and wooden fendering.This project sees yet another evolution of the ScaffFloat system that launched in the UK just two years ago. The Cornish-based company has grown across multiple markets and this latest addition of a crane to their self-powered pontoons has some in the industry likening it to the popular multicat style workboats.For the project on the Thames ScaffFloat mobilised an 8m x 6.4m ScaffFloat…

Towage provider Svitzer, part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, has bought a new tug to support terminal operations in Milford Haven, UK. The addition of the Svitzer Pembroke to the UK fleet will free up the 86-tonne bollard pull ASD tug, Svitzer Ramsey, for relocation to London to cater for expected growth at the River Thames and River Medway, Svitzer said.The Svitzer Pembroke was originally built for Svitzer at Zamakona Shipyard, Spain, but in 2014 the vessel was sold, and has operated…

The historic Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff announced it has secured its first newbuild order since being bought out of administration in 2019.The shipyard, best known for having built the Titanic, is returning to action after being purchased by London-based InfraStrata. The yard said on Wednesday that it was awarded an initial contract worth approximately £8.5 million to build 11 barges for U.K.-based waste management and recycling company Cory, setting in motion the yard's…

Harland & Wolff said Wednesday it had won an initial contract worth around £8.5 million (around $10,7 million) with Cory for the fabrication of eleven barges. Cory, a UK-based waste management and recycling company, will use the barges to transport London’s recyclable and non-recyclable waste on the River Thames. Harland & Wolff will build the barges at its Belfast site, with first steel being cut within approximately eight weeks’ time. The program schedule allows for four barges to be built in tandem, with the entire build program ending around mid-2023.

Uber is taking to the water in London. Earlier this month the international ride-hailing company marked the start of a partnership with water taxi operator Thames Clippers to provide its services on the River Thames.The first vessel donning Uber Boat by Thames Clippers branding set sail on August 3 as part of a fleet of 20 passenger vessels departing from 23 piers across London from Putney in the west to Woolwich Royal Arsenal in the east.Uber is rolling out the service on its app…

Dutch company Royal IHC has delivered the newbuild trailing suction hopper dredger River Thames to Belgium's DEME.The dredger, designed and built by IHC, is based on the TSHD LESSE, delivered to Baggerbedrijf de Boer by IHC in 2019. The vessel is designed to maintain sea and inland waterways, as well as perform land reclamation. "The compact design of the TSHD is characterized by a small draught and can be deployed for projects in shallow water worldwide," Royal IHC said.The River Thames was built for DEME at PaxOcean Graha, Batam, Indonesia, and will now get ready for its first project.

Dutch shipbuilding major Damen Shipyards Group said that it has signed a contract with London construction services provider S. Walsh & Sons (Walsh) for a CS2010 pusher tug from Concordia Damen.The pusher will be available for quick delivery in summer this year as a result of Concordia Damen’s practice of building stock hulls, the shipbuilder said.The CS 2010 will join the growing Walsh marine fleet operating on the River Thames in the UK – including the Damen Multi Cat 1908 delivered in 2019. The new vessel will push barges on the river, transporting huge volumes of bulk freight in and out of London.On delivery it will go straight into action…

Dutch shipbuilding conglomerate Damen Shipyards Group has unveiled a Ballast Water Pre Filtration Barge (BWPF) to assist vessels in complying with the IMO's Ballast Water Management Convention.The new legislation came into force on September 8th 2019 and Damen Green Solutions has prepared a range of products and services to assist its clients in meeting the requirements of the new legislation.The globally operating company with more than 50 shipyards, repair yards, and related companies said in a press note that the BWPF Barge can process up to 4,000 m3 water per hour with a sediment level anything between 50 and 1,500 mg per liter.Filtration is available between 10 and 50 micron, to suit varying sediment sizes.

Coastal flooding disasters have occurred periodically through history often followed by construction of flood defenses to help ensure it does not happen again. One of the most well known was the 1953 North Sea Flood in the Netherlands when a storm surge occurred on top of astronomical high tides causing thousands of deaths, property and economic damages. The Dutch and UK reacted and increased construction of sea defenses including storm surge barriers, such as the Delta Works and River Thames barriers.

Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering NV (DEME) informed that its latest trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) River Thames  was successfully launched at PaxOcean Graha, Batam in Indonesia.The TSHD, designed and build by Royal IHC, has a hopper capacity of 2,300m³ and a maximum dredging depth of 30 meters below the waterline, said a press release from Royal IHC, a supplier of equipment, vessels and services for the offshore, dredging and wet mining markets.The RiverThames is a copy of the 2,300m³ TSHD LESSE, successfully delivered by IHC to Baggerbedrijf de Boer in August. The vessel is designed to maintain sea and inland waterways, as well as perform land reclamation.It is equipped with the latest electronic system to improve positioning, sounding and execution of dredging work.

British building materials company Tarmac has partnered with London’s fastest growing port, the Port of Tilbury, to create the UK’s largest construction materials aggregates terminal at Tilbury2, the new port being constructed on the north bank of the River Thames.The work will see the creation of new aggregate processing and manufacturing facilities, including an asphalt and ready mix concrete plant, at the new port terminal, supported by the terminal’s deep sea capacity for vessels up to 100,000 metric tonnes. Its riverside location will enable the easy import of raw materials and facilitate the use of the River Thames as a delivery route for processed construction materials into Central London.Martin Riley…

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.

The global towage operator Svitzer held a ceremony on the River Thames  to officially christened Svitzer Meridian as the latest - and tenth - vessel in its Port of London fleet.During a naming ceremony held on the River Thames with guests representing a variety of customers and partners – including vessel builder Sanmar – the 70 tonnes bollard pull Azimuth Tractor Drive (ATD) Svitzer Meridian was officially christened by representatives from multinational electricity and gas utility company National Grid Grain LNG, who are godparenting the vessel.Meridian, whose name was chosen to reflect Maritime Greenwich’s Prime Meridian longitude line – and Svitzer’s longstanding links with the local area – has been in operation at the Port of London since November 2018…

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 humpback whale measuring at least 5 meters (16 feet) has been spotted in the River Thames just east of London almost exactly a year since a beluga whale was first sighted in the British capital."We are 99.9999 percent sure it is a humpback whale - there have been multiple sightings," said a spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which oversees the river.A beluga whale named as "Benny the Beluga" spent over three months in the River Thames last year."It is not Benny, it is not a beluga…

A new report jointly produced by the Port of London Authority (PLA) and Greater London Authority (GLA) says a new vision could maximize the contribution the River Thames makes to culture in the UK capital. ‘’ sets out how clear direction could make the most of the river’s cultural attractions for the benefit of the city’s population and visitors alike.The report aligns with GLA’s priorities for promoting the city and the PLA’s wider Thames Vision, which was launched in 2016, setting out six targets for the economic, environmental and social resurgence of the river, to be delivered by 2035.