Category Archives: King George V Dock

Light Vessel 93 moves from RVD to KGV

On 25th May 2024 the long-expected move of Light Vessel 93 from Royal Victoria Dock to King George V Dock within the Royal Docks complex took place.

The reason that LV93 (and the SS Robin) have both had to move from their position outside the Millennium Mills building is that the jetty at which they have been berthed is to be demolished to make way for the new Royal Victoria Dock low-level bridge, which is being built as part of the Silvertown Quays redevelopment.

SS ROBIN + LV93

On the day of the move the tugs HAVEN SUPPORTER & PUNISHER came down the Thames and through the KGV Lock before making their way to the LV93 where they waited until London City Airport closed for the afternoon so that they could make safe passage around to the KGV Dock.

PUNISHER & HAVEN SUPPORTER

The following gallery contains a selection of photographs of the later stages of the moved.

The vessel is part of the UK National Historic Fleet and more background information can be found here and has been for sale since late 2020 if you are interested!! (Details).

It is hoped that the vessel has a secure future but it remains to be seen where it might be moored as it seems unlikely that this will be within the Royal Docks other than as a dormant vessel in the KGV storage area.

#dlr_blog review of 2023

On reviewing Thames river traffic in London during 2023 it was good to note a number of vessels visiting for the first time and also to see some additions to the fleets of local operators (and, unfortunately, a few departures) with the overall number and variety of visitors being good. A full list can be seen here.

The cargo operations at the Tate and Lyle plant continued with regular supplies of raw materials being delivered by ship with 18 deliveries during the year and notable with the restart of trade with Australia after a gap of nearly 50 years. A full list of the visiting ships can be seen here.

There were 20 Cruise Ship visitors in 2023 that used both the Upper Pool and Greenwich moorings with three “first-timers” as well as returning stalwarts of the London cruise scene. As ever with such things there were a few cancellations for various reasons during the season but most of the planned vessels made a visit.

The THE WORLD floating residence ship also paid a visit to London during 2023.

THE WORLD

The year saw 10 different Luxury Yachts visit with several first time visitors and some of those were newly launched vessels although overall numbers were slightly down on previous years.

Only 10 sailing ships visited the Thames during the year and mostly by the smaller class vessels but there was one sail-powered cargo delivery during the year by DE TUKKER.

Overview of Thames military vessel visitors in 2023

Another bumper year for military vessel visits that saw a total of 33 vessels call at London including the first visit of a Finnish naval vessel under the NATO flag and three new vessels for the UK Armed Forces with the trials vessel XV PATRICK BLACKETT, RNMB APOLLO and RFA PROTEUS visiting, the latter for it’s naming ceremony.

The following military vessels visited during the year:

The biennial defence show took place in September but with a reduced presence from visiting ships and no on-water displays this time. A full report can be seen here.

The Met Police Marine Division completed the re-equipment of their patrol boat fleet with at least one of their former vessels having been transferred to the UK Border Force (NINA MACKAY II) and the original Targa 37 PATRICK COLQUHOUN II remained in service at the end of the year. A full report can be seen here.

The year also saw the introduction of several more alternative fuel vessels (to add to the hybrid Woolwich Ferries and HVO powered vessels).

Thames Clippers received the first of their hybrid diesel / battery vessels in the shape of EARTH CLIPPER and the battery powered OCEANDIVA arrived at it’s new home (see below for more details) and towards the end of the year the fully electric workboat ALB-e was unveiled.

The middle Thames also hosted the naming of three vessels during 2023 with the offshore supply vessel HST FRANCES being named in St Katharine Docks and the LNG dual-fuel tanker vessel SIR JOHN FISHER and RFA PROTEUS both mooring alongside HMS BELFAST for their naming events.

New additions to the CPBS Marine fleet during the year included GUARDDOG, HOUND DOG and MAD DOG.

GPS Marine added GPS ARCADIA (ex CHRISTIAN), GPS MUSCA (name not carried) & STEVEN B to their fleet.

A number of other vessels visited during the year on temporary assignments in support of various projects along the river.

The Thames and the Docks need maintenance work to prevent the buildup of silt and at the beginning of 2023 the newly delivered water-injection dredger AQUADELTA paid a visit to the entrance to the KGV Lock.

Not so many rowing challenges in 2023 – just Team Ithaca who successfully completed the 2023 GB Row Challenge with an unaided circumnavigation of Great Britain and there were a few outings by the AHOY charity.

Royal Docks

The number of visitors to the Royal Docks was again high with at least 319 visits but many repeats from some vessels such as HEIKO visiting 42 times to load fuel and THAMES VIXEN & SCHELDEMOND I visiting their moorings in KGV 28 times between them.

It remains disappointing though in terms of how under utilized the water space is with no published water use strategy and no major boating events, few ship visitors and almost no use of the water for transportation – the business mainly comes from it being one of the few non-tidal moorings in London that can accommodate the various working vessels. Speaking of which……

The project to build the new RNLI Tower Lifeboat station completed with the delivery of the station on 30th March 2023 – a full report of the build and delivery can be seen here.

The new battery-powered events vessel Oceandiva London arrived to make it’s home in the KGV Dock in May and undertook various fitting out and test activities. During one of the test cruises along the Thames there was a propulsion failure that led to the craft making contact with a moored transport barge and this required repairs but also introduced further delays in the project.

OceanDiva @ KGV Lock

The Oceandiva London undertook it’s first, limited, public event in November but is still not cleared for full service – this post tracks the evolution of the project but it is still some way from potential service on the Thames.

A few filming / PR projects used the Docks as a base during the year and one cargo vessel visited to collect equipment that had been used as part of the Silvertown Tunnel project.

NEPTUNE @ KGV Lock

In early December the SS ROBIN moved from the Royal Docks to Trinity Buoy Wharf having been displaced due to regeneration works (and the same fate will befall LV 93). Some pictures of the departure voyage can be seen here.

SS ROBIN

A few vessel statistics for 2023 (some vessels visited more than once):

  • Bulk cargo ships visiting Thames Refinery – 18 deliveries
  • Other Cargo ships – 7 (3 @ Charlton / 3 @ Silvertown / 1 @ KGV Lock)
  • Naval vessels – 33
  • Cruise ships – 20
  • Sailing ships – 10
  • Luxury Yachts – 10
  • Visitors to the “Royal Docks” – 319 (many repeat visitors plus those I missed!)

To see more of my pictures (not just of boats!) click here or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

…… and that, is that!

North Woolwich gets a new DIVA (and then loses it……)

OCEANDIVA (London) – a long time coming….. stayed a while and left again……

The prospect of a “luxury yacht” floating events venue on the River Thames in London has been around for some time.

It was first proposed that a vessel known as OCEANDIVA would ply it’s trade on the Thames as far back as 2016 and this was going to be an UK offshoot of an established Dutch company that operated entertainment vessels in the Amsterdam area.

The original proposal was to bring an existing vessel from the Netherlands to the UK to operate on the Thames but different shipping regulations meant that a vessel certified for European waterways use was not suited to the fast-flowing tidal Thames.

As a result of this it seems a decision was taken to build a new vessel that would comply with the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency rules whilst also being powered by battery packs to become a carbon-neutral floating events venue – a first for the River Thames.

This new vessel was constructed in the Netherlands by the VEKA Group at their shipyard in Lemmer before coming to London where it will be operated as part of the Smart Group as Oceandiva London. The team have set up a consultation hub with details of how they intend to test the vessel in preparation for it’s full operations on the Thames – details can be found here.

The Company had high hopes of an early beginning for the project – a press release in September 2019 stated “Las Vegas, September 11, 2019 – From Imex America in Las Vegas, Edwin Petersen, CEO of OCEANDIVA, presents the plans for the company’s latest event ship. The OCEANDIVA London will be the first carbon neutral event ship in the world and is expected to arrive in London at the end of 2020.

It is undoubtedly the case that the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted plans but it is only in April 2023 that the vessel seems to have hit the water and completed initial running trials – deploying innovative technology is challenging but it appear that there have been other technical or construction issues that have delayed the project too.

There have been challenges in London too when it comes to preparations for operating the vessel. An initial planning application for an operating base at Swan Lane in the City of London was rejected by the Planning Authority and many riverside residents have voiced concerns about the scale of events the new vessel could support.

Whilst many concerns have been raised about this new “party boat” it is highly unlikely that this vessel will operate in the football fan booze cruise / river based disco venue category – a more viable concern is the disembarkation of large numbers of guests at the end of events, some of which are planned to end after midnight.

Initially the capacity was thought to be up to 1500 but this was revised in June 2023 to 800 guests for normal operations with up to 1000 guests for 12 events per annum.

River Thames party boat

An all too common occurrence is that the prime operator and associated 3rd parties are all happy to make money but don’t give local residents the respect of engagement – a good example was the first application for a premises license which when originally posted contained only 2 documents with the bare minimum of information – it was only many months after the closing date for public responses that a full set of over 30 documents were released that included the full extent of proposed operating locations and did nothing to reduce the impression of avoiding engagement.

Since the vessel has arrived in London a more active engagement process has commenced which will hopefully lead to a greater partnership approach with local residents.

In a similar vein you might expect the operator of the host mooring location in King George V Dock to engage with local residents about the plans just out of courtesy and good community engagement but sadly no attempt was made to do so although for the local residents around the Royal Docks in Newham this is sadly the norm – no meaningful engagement occurs on any matter.

Some work was undertaken to Dolphin 1 located at the eastern end of the KGV Dock to make it ready for OCEANDIVA which included adding a new bridge, some power and water cabling, new mooring points and a new surface.

Home base for the OCEANDIVA
Upgrades to Dolphin 1

The use of alternative, non-carbon, forms of propulsion for all types of vehicle are welcomed but there needs to be a programme of education and awareness that runs in parallel to the delivery of such solutions – the London Fire Brigade are flagging real concerns about fires relating to the charging and operation of battery powered bikes and scooters – it is not hard to see why residents would have concerns about a vessel with a significantly larger battery pack being charged near their homes.

Tugs with OCEANDIVA on the Thames

The vessel finally arrived in North Woolwich on 20th May 2023 and entered the lock running on it’s own battery power (having been towed across the North Sea and up the River Thames) and after the removal of some protective covers it then moved to it’s assigned berth in the main dock.

OD entering the KGV Lock for the first time

The following video shows the arrival of OCEANDIVA at the Royal Docks.

Upon arrival the vessel remained in the Lock for a while whilst some of the covers that had protected the windows were removed and a welcoming party went on board.

Due to the size of the vessel numerous CCTV cameras are installed to provide situational awareness to the crew and in addition there are two wing bridge locations on the roof from where the vessel can be controlled during docking operations.

OCEANDIVA wing bridge location

The OCEANDIVA is a newly built vessel and there are quite a few “loose ends” to be tidied up before it goes in to service for fee-paying clients but there are quite a few rough edges that are a bit of a surprise!

Then it moved through in to the KGV Dock with the London skyline as a backdrop before maneuvering on to the mooring at Dolphin 1.

OCEANDIVA with London beyond
OCEANDIVA in KGV Dock
OCEANDIVA on Dolphin 1
OCEANDIVA at Dolphin 1
OCEANDIVA
OCEANDIVA in the KGV Dock

A few days later it was moved back in to the lock to enable works to be undertaken.

OCEANDIVA in KGV Lock
OCEANDIVA at night
OceanDiva @ KGV Lock

Life-raft system test

On the 26th May 2023 as part of the activities to prepare the vessel for service a system trial of the life-raft launching process was undertaken in the KGV Dock. This was just a test of one of the life-raft pods rather than a passenger evacuation test.

OceanDiva about to undertake system test of life-raft launch in KGV Dock

The vessel is equipped with 12 SurvitecZodiac podded life-rafts located in 4 groups around the vessel and each has a rated capacity for 151 persons. In addition the vessel carries at least a dozen float-rafts as well as lifejackets.

The vessel adopted a static position in the dock and one of the pods was then ejected from it’s storage rack in to the water before the guide ropes pulled it towards one of the doorways. A separate inflatable slide then deployed to allow the crew to enter the raft.

At the same time the vessel deployed a small inflatable safety boat that is believed to be stored in an aft hanger space and is transferred to and from the water using one of the two lifting arms mounted at the stern of OceanDiva.

Once the deployment test had been completed the local workboat towed the raft back in to the KGV Lock for recovery and also provided the opportunity to see the scale of these large rafts – they are open rafts as OceanDiva will only operate on inland waterways.

A video of the system test can be seen below – note, this is an edited video and does not show elapsed time for any of the events depicted.

The idea is for the vessel to recharge it’s batteries from a shore-based power supply with the primary site in the KGV Dock being supplemented by other charging stations along the river, including one at West India Pier, but as of June 2023 none of the river based charging stations have been deployed.

In a change of plans it seems less likely that OCEANDIVA will use the West India Pier charging point although this one and one at Lambeth are to be available for charging of other vessels and equipment.

West India Pier proposed NZMS charging station(as yet unfinished)

Another hurdle the operators need to overcome is the securing of a premises license for the sale of alcohol and to run events on the vessel which needs to be obtained from London Borough of Newham Council which covers the site of the vessels main mooring location. The application submitted in 2022 was later withdrawn, in part due to the delay to the delivery of the vessel.

Update: 15th June 2023

I was fortunate enough to be invited on board the OceanDiva along with a few other local residents to have a look at the vessel to see the internal arrangement of space and to see some of the new technologies employed on the vessel.

On the day of our visit the vessel was moored alongside Dolphin 1 and taking power from the shore power point. Various fitting out works were being undertaken but we were able to visit a number of public and crew areas as well as speaking to both management and technical staff.

We started off on the middle deck which has various service areas as well as a mezzanine view down to the main lower deck with it’s main display screen.

At the stern of the middle deck is a small open deck area which also houses some of the operational equipment such as lifejacket storage and access to the machinery spaces.

Middle deck forward space leading to outside area

The lower deck is the main multi-function events space – this will be configured to meet client needs for their event – from gala dinner to product launches – there are fully accessible lifts too but we didn’t look at them.

The rear internal area on the upper deck has a bar area which, like the rest of the vessel, can be configured to meet client needs.

The outer deck space includes the cargo hatch which allows over-sized items to be lowered in to the vessel using external cranage. The structure of the upper deck will allow for the placement of props or products (such as vehicles etc.) but is not designed to be a helideck.

The Wheelhouse level also has a stock of float life-rafts and there are wing-bridge stations for close maneuvering alongside piers. The bridge also has a hydraulic lift mechanism to provide an elevated view for the helm.

The main command position is very much “star-ship” in nature with multi-function displays, thrusters and system controls.

One option that had been proposed was to use the roof space to hold solar panels for supplementary charging of the batteries but this option has not been taken forward.

Lower deck engineering space which hold the grey water processing pant and two battery rooms which each have fire suppression and fume venting systems. The battery compartments have space to accommodate a future doubling of capacity.

On departure had a quick look at Dolphin 1.

Looking forward from the port, aft, gangway

Update 8th July 2023 – as part of the certification process for enabling the Oceandiva to carry passengers on the Thames a series of tests and checks need to be undertaken in order for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to grant a license.

During the first of these test sessions on the 22nd June 2023 whilst operating near Erith the Oceandiva suffered damage as a result of an incident – until the formal investigation has been completed I will not speculate further nor publish any of my images.

Following the incident the Oceandiva returned to the Royal Docks under it’s own power and with no outside assistance and the vessel remained there until 8th July 2023 when it was towed to Chatham for further repair works to be undertaken.

Update 14th August 2023

Following works in Chatham the Oceandiva returned to the Royal Docks under it’s own power on 14th August ahead of another planned certification voyage booked for 16th August.

Update 9th November 2023

The OCEANDIVA undertook a short test voyage and another life-raft test on 30th August out on the River Thames, with the support of tug DEVOUT, before returning to it’s mooring in the Royal Docks.

An interesting feature of the vessel that I hadn’t spotted previously is the inclusion of a cargo host above the forward port entry door (presumably one on the starboard side too) to make the loading of stores and equipment easier and independent of shore facilities. [Note: there are also two, longer reach, cranes mounted at the stern of the vessel.]

Oceandiva

On 6th November OCEANDIVA made a transit through the Royal Docks to spend a couple of days attending the World Travel Market event being held at the ExCel exhibition centre. On the evening of 6th November the OCEANDIVA held it’s first ever event by hosting a number of invited guests (planned to be approximately 150) to attend a networking event on board as well as showing off the vessel to prospective clients.

The following video includes a time-lapse of the transit, a slide-show of photographs and a longer, real-time, video of the transit.

The process of attaining the various classifications and certifications continues and It is anticipated that OCEANDIVA will undertake further tests events in preparation for a new license application – this post will be updated with details of any of these activities that are noted.

Update 1st February 2024

Oceandiva London

The sun sets on the OceanDiva London project.

Today, 1st February 2024, Smart Group who were the commercial operators of the vessel announced that they are terminating the project and the vessel will be returned to it’s Dutch owners.

The full statement can be read here.

Oceandiva London

Update 19th February 2024

The intervening period between the announcement of the termination of the project and the departure saw various fittings being removed including AV equipment and life-rafts.

A little after 8am on Monday 19th February 2024 the Oceandiva London vessel left the Royal Docks under tow back to the Netherlands after the parent company that owns the vessel decided to terminate the London project.

Having spent an elapsed time of 276 days in London (mostly in the Royal Docks aside from a couple of test runs on the Thames and 17 days in Chatham for repairs) the vessel only hosted one, limited guest, event.

Hopefully the aborted project will have provided both operators and regulators with some useful lessons learned and performance data.

London City Airport deploys Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS)

London City Airport has an ongoing development programme (CADP) that seeks to deliver a range of operational and customer improvements to the working of the airport.

The latest enhancement provides both improved levels of operational safety but also facilitates the introduction of additional next-generation aircraft types to the airport’s approved list.

LCY Rwy 09 RESA before upgrade

In what is believed to be a first for a major UK Civil Airport (RAF Northolt has had a similar solution in place for a few years) London City Airport has installing what is known as an Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) at both ends of it’s runway.

An EMAS system is the equivalent of a gravel trap that will bring an aircraft to a complete stop in a short distance in case of a brake failure or other over-run situation in either landings or aborted take-offs. The solution has been on the market for over 20 years and has seen most installations at airports within the USA but is being used in more locations where there is limited space and water or other obstacles are located at the airport boundary.

Previously LCY had paved Runway End Safety Areas (RESA) that served that same purpose but as larger aircraft are planned to operate from the airport an enhanced solution that fitted in the available space was required.

[It should be noted that in all the years of LCY’s operations there haven’t been any runway over-run incidents but the added safety margin is a prudent insurance policy.]

The prime contract for the works was awarded to blu-3 and makes use of the Runway Safe EMASMAX® system. The works have taken place during the airport’s closure periods due to the need for access to the live runway and it took place over the Winter period of 2022/3.

The installation process involved the construction of new areas of asphalt surface on to which stacked layers of the EMAS material sandwich blocks were placed and bonded together. Care also had to be taken to ensure that the runway approach lights were not obstructed by the new surface and access for maintenance works was still possible.

Cut-away of Runway Safe EMASMAX® block (Image from Runway Safe website)
EMAS Blocks being unloaded after delivery to LCY

At the Western end of the runway the existing safety zone was extended on to a previously grassed area which required the preparation of a new asphalt surface on to which the EMAS blocks could be installed but that site isn’t easily viewable from public areas so this post focuses on works at the Eastern end of the runway.

Western works zone showing engineering compound and base layer of new RESA area prior to EMAS block installation

The following images show the groundworks to prepare the Eastern runway end area for the installation of the EMAS blocks with similar works happening concurrently at the Western end..

Once all the preparatory works had been completed the laying of the EMAS blocks began – starting with the slopped lead-in section to then create a full EMAS bed the width of the main runway with stepped down sections either side of that.

The completed Eastern end EMAS installation – the safety area markings haven’t been applied to the surface as yet

Further images of the completed installation – note the curved profile of the runway surface and EMAS bed.

The new EMAS solution doesn’t change the operation of the airport with departing aircraft commencing the take-off roll from the same point and landing aircraft fly above the safety area towards the touch-down point.

The blocks are safe to walk on so don’t impede emergency access or passenger egress and are designed to minimize damage to the aircraft thus reducing the operational impact to the airport in the event of an runway excursion.

The following video shows the testing of an EMAS system.

The following images show the Eastern EMAS bed with an aircraft taxing to the departure point and then climbing out.

Update – 2nd May 2023 – I had another look at the Western works zone and managed to capture the following pictures through the window of a moving bus – hence the slightly lower quality of the images!!

Update – 31st May 2023 – the EMAS installations are now complete and a protective outer layer has been applied to both EMAS beds and other project works are undeway.

Update 2nd July 2023

The final element of current runway works project reached a conclusion at the beginning of July with the final changes to the runway markings and the official issue of new aerodrome documentation effective from 13th July 2023.

Alongside the construction of the EMAS beds at both ends of the runway changes have also been made that increases the declared distances available for landing aircraft on both of the runways (slightly different lengths for each – the longer being for Rwy 27).

The extra runway length has been released by the use of the EMAS system within each Runway End Safety Area as less space is now required to bring an aircraft to a safe stop. As a result the thresholds of each runaway along with the touch-down points have been moved closer to the end of the respective runways – thus providing a longer landing area although the physical length of the main landing strip remains the same.

Out with the old – in with the new – painting the new Rwy 09 markings closer to the EMAS bed

The special 5.5° glide slope remains in use at LCY and the Precision Approach Path Indicators have been moved to correspond with the revised location of the aiming point. The runway approach light configurations have also been revised for the same reason – probably most noticeable on the Rwy 27 approach at the Eastern end of the airport.

The EMAS implementation provides an increased level of operational safety that, combined with the runway layout changes, support the introduction of newer, larger, aircraft such as the Embraer E195 E2.

These new aircraft have a smaller environmental footprint and provide commercial benefits to the operator from having a larger potential seating capacity and/or extended range as well as being more fuel efficient.

Further testing with the E195 E2 is likely to take place in the near future and then see them introduced in to revenue service in coming months.

The following table details the changes to LCY’s declared distances:

RwyTORATODAASDALDA
09 (old)1199m1319m1319m1319m
09 (new)1199m1457m1494m1494m
27 (old)1199m1385m 1319m1319m
27 (new)1199m1415m1508m1508m
TORA = Take off Run Available / TODA = Take off Distance Available
ASDA = Accelerate-Stop Distance Available / LDA = Landing Distance Available

The first aircraft to land on the “new” Rwy 27 was BA Cityflyer Embraer ERJ-190
G-LCYJ operating the BA8721 flight from Glasgow and landing at LCY at 1236 on Sunday, 2nd July 2023.

G-LCYJ makes first touch-down on the new Rwy 27 configuration

A few more of G_LCYJ arriving at LCY following runway layout changes.

There were also a few more circuits undertaken by Diamond DA62 G-GBAS operated by Flight Calibration Services Limited (FCSL) to do some final checks of the lights and navigation aids.

FCSL’s DA62 G-GBAS

A few more images from the project can be seen by clicking here.

#dlr_blog review of 2022

Reviewing the Year 2022 in terms of river traffic in London it was certainly noticeable that there were more visiting vessels than had been the case during the Covid affected years but the conclusion of major works on the Tideway Tunnel project also led to a reduction in local tug movements on the river and a number of changes within the fleets of several Thames operators.

The operations at the Tate and Lyle plant continued with regular supplies of raw materials being delivered by ship with one fewer visitor than last year. A full list of the ships can be seen here.

Chintana at Thames Refinery

There were a total of 18 Cruise Ship visitors in 2022 that used both the Upper Pool and Greenwich moorings. There were quite a number of “first-timers” as well as returning stalwarts of the London cruise scene but the Hanseatic vessels were a personal favorite.

HANSEATIC spirit

A “star” visitor during the early part of the year was the Fure Vinga, a Hybrid Tanker vessel supporting an IMO event in London – rare to see that type of vessel this far up the Thames.

Fure Vinga

A returning visitor after a few year’s absence was the Paddle Steamer Waverley that once again did a number of trips along the Thames and around the estuary.

PS WAVERLEY

A total of 13 different Luxury Yachts visited London during 2022 (a few visited more than once bringing the visits total up to 19) with quite a few first time visits from newly launched vessels, some of which were shorter visits to undertake photo shoots.

Slipstream

The year saw a great improvement in the number of sailing ship visitors to the Thames with 13 different vessels visiting including several naval sail training ships and other first-time visitors which was a welcome sight. Sadly no sail-powered cargo deliveries this year.

It was a bumper year for military vessel visits that saw a total to 31 vessels call at London (this includes the 4 sail training ships noted above and 1 vessel that visited twice during the autumn months). The total was boosted by an 8-ship NATO flotilla towards the end of the year (SNMCMG1 being regular visitors to London) and a 5-ship Dutch contingent.

HMCS KINGSTON – part of SNMCMG fleet
Four of the Dutch naval visitors to the Thames in December

There was a notable absence of visits from the Royal Navy’s Archer Class in-shore patrol vessels which was due to them being involved in other taskings although there was a rare visit from HMS Tracker, one of the up-gunned Faslane force protection vessels, during the year.

HMS Tracker P274

The largest British naval vessel to visit during the year was RFA Mounts Bay L3008 which was an imposing sight on the river.

RFA Mounts Bay

Both the Met Police Marine Division and the London Fire Brigade have been updating their river fleets with both the new LFB Boats delivered and half of the Police’s new fast patrol boats now on the river.

Royal Docks

The number of visitors to the Royal Docks was again high (at least 265 visits in total but many repeat visits from a few vessels) as it is one of the few quiet water locations in London for undertaking equipment loading/unloading and for doing maintenance work.

It also might have been the busiest year for cargo operations (unloading of bulk commodities) since the Royal Docks ceased commercial operations in the 1980s.

No less than 6 general cargo vessels visited the KGV Lock, one of these being to deliver elements of the Silvertown Tunnel project’s Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and the other 5 delivering bulk cargos of bagged cement powder.

There were notable water based events during the year with a celebration event for the Commonwealth Games Baton Relay / Queen’s Platinum Jubilee that saw a flotilla of people-powered vessels and other support boats transit through the Royal Victoria and Royal Albert Docks – all credit to those that took part but somewhat underwhelming and it failed to deliver the promised 25 boats.

Commonwealth Games Baton Relay flotilla in Royal Albert Dock

The other event was the Covid delayed conclusion of the 2019-20 Clipper round-the-world yacht race.

The bi-annual Oceanology International event took place at ExCel and once again saw a number of visiting boats, although the number attending was reduced in comparison to previous events and the vessels were also more inshore / river survey vessels. The number of uncrewed vessels was much higher.

Towards the end of 2022 the project to build the new Lifeboat Station for Tower RNLI commenced with the tug Goliath bringing in the base pontoon.

The Royal Docks was also the logistics base and filming location for a Netflix production during December – a report about the boats being used can be seen here.

A few vessel statistics for 2022 (some vessels visited more than once):

  • Bulk cargo ships visiting Thames Refinery – 16 deliveries
  • Other Cargo ships (mainly doing pick-ups from Charlton + a few aggregate deliveries to Silvertown and the extra 6 to the Royal Docks) – 34
  • Naval vessels – 31
  • Cruise ships – 18
  • Sailing ships – 16
  • Luxury Yachts – 19
  • Visitors to KGV Lock – 265 (many of these were multiple visitors and I might have missed a few!!)

Hopefully there will be more new and interesting visitors to the Thames in 2023.

To see more of my pictures (not just of boats!) click here or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

Copyright @AJBC_1

A new home for RNLI’s Tower Lifeboat crews

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) have four lifeboat stations on the River Thames and other stations around the Thames Estuary but Tower Lifeboat Station in Westminster is so busy that they have crews on station 24/7 to reduce response times (only 4 RNLI stations operate this way, the others being Chiswick and Gravesend on the Thames and the Humber crew at Spurn Point).

Original Tower Lifeboat Station at Waterloo Bridge with an E-Class lifeboat alongside

The station was initially established near Tower Bridge later moving to the site on the Northern bank of the river just downstream of Waterloo Bridge but the original name was retained. The current station has a long history of serving the Thames as it was originally a River Police station from 1874 being sold to the RNLI in 2004 and refurbished to be a lifeboat station, entering service in January 2006. Some 17 years later the old pier is no longer fit for purpose and so a project was started to construct a new, purpose designed, pier to replace the old one.

Tug GOLIATH arriving in London with the new base pontoon

The base pontoon for the new station was constructed by Harland & Wolff at their Appledore site in Devon and measures in at around 53m by 14m at a weight of approximately 450 tonnes. It was towed to the Royal Docks in London for fitting out by tug GOLIATH that coincidentally was also constructed at Appledore but back in 1956.

The lead contractor for the construction of the actual superstructure is Herbosch Kiere Marine Contractors Ltd who have been involved in numerous marine civil engineering projects along the Thames and they are partnering with the Livett’s Group for marine support.

Tug THAMES VIXEN & workboat ARTEMIS operated by Livett’s Group supporting the build project

Quite often with this type of project the work is either done in the KGV Lock or alongside on the Airport Cut berth as these areas have direct access for lorries and cranes but for this project most of the works are being done alongside the Dolphins in the KGV Dock which is a more constrained operating location. [Note: the plans for the significantly delayed redevelopment of Albert Island show that both the Lock-side and Airport Cut berths will have limited access for cranes or deliveries in the future which might reduce the appeal of the location and seems to go against the London Plan Blue Ribbon strategy!].

As a hobbyist photographer it is not always possible to capture all of the key stages of the project’s evolution so unfortunately I missed the construction of the building’s frame and installation of the insulation panels but did capture the end result which gave a good impression of the scale of the new station.

After constructing the building frame the pontoon was then moved back on to the Dolphin in KGV Dock for the next stage of the works.

Scaffolding going up around the structure – not the most accessible of worksites.

Work on the structure continued with the cutting out of the window and door apertures in the walls.

The wintery weather in mid-December gave the new structure a bit of a test – the roof held the weight of a covering of snow and the pontoon wasn’t affected by the water freezing around it (the latter not likely to be an issue in the flowing waters of the Thames when the new station is in situ).

As work concluded for the holiday season a quick look at the building revealed that a lot more work had been completed on the walls and roof with a new layer of materials added and the door and window spaces boarded up against the weather although some with glazing installed are visible.

During January 2023 the works on the new station build have continued with at least one shuffle of the pontoon in to the KGV Lock to load material – the tug FELIX, operated by Thamescraft Drydocking, provided the motive power.

January also saw the Lifeboat Pier at Westminster being formally stood down from service with the Tower RNLI crews temporarily operating from HMS President RNR, this news being formally announced on 13th January.

On 24th January the old Pier was moved by tug from Westminster to the KGV Dock where works will be undertaken to convert it in to a floating recharging station for battery powered vessels as part of the Port of London Authority’s drive towards Net Zero through the use of alternative power solutions for vessels. The converted Pier will become one of a growing number of recharging points on the Thames.

A short video of the old Pier being delivered to the KGV Dock can be seen below:

New pier build status as at 24/01/23

Update – early February 2023

Work continues on the station with layers of insulation and paneling being added to the roof and walls – not the most exciting subject for photos!

Preparation works at Waterloo Bridge also moved forward with the deployment of crane barge SEA DEVIL and a long-reach excavator on pontoon HAVEN SEABREEZE which will be used to dredge the river in the new mooring location.

A few more pictures showing the work to the roof and wall progressing in mid February.

Site preparation at Waterloo Bridge also moving forwards with tug PROSPER moving the spoil from the dredging works down river to Rainham and HOUND DOG with pontoon P2 moving equipment and pile casings up river on 15th February with first of the new pile columns in place the next day.

PROSPER with barge PRODUCTIVE carrying dredging spoil from the Waterloo Bridge site

Update: 17th February 2023

Work on the roof of the station looks substantially complete with solar panels having been installed along with station roof lettering of RNLI on each of the river facing outer building sections (the central core roof slopes towards the mooring point).

Update week ending 25th February 2023

Preparation works on the moorings at Waterloo Bridge continued with Multicat SEA DOG doing a couple of trips to collect component parts from the KGV Lock at the start of the week.

Major structural works are complete with most of the scaffolding removed and the land-side roof now has a large RNLI badge above the word “Lifeboats” mounted on it. Still some electrical works to be completed on the exterior of the building and whatever internal work remains but the station will soon be ready to be moved to the site at Waterloo Bridge.

Update week ending 5th March 2023

Most of the works are now inside the building but Multicat SEA DOG spent over a week in the Dock providing transport and craneage services for what appeared to be the external decking areas. As part of this activity the Station was rotated a couple of times to enable better access for the crane.

On 6th May, probably due to the blustery wind conditions in the Dock, BULLDOG arrived to assist with turning the pontoon around again. A video of the turn can be seen below.

Turning the station around

The rotation of the pontoon also allowed for the comparison of the two faces of the new station when it is in place at Waterloo Bridge.

Update week ending 19th March 2023

Not that much change in the external appearance over the last couple of weeks other than work on the external decking plus safety railings being installed along with some further framework to hold more paneling.

The station also had another turn in the Dock to enable access to the reverse side whilst also providing a different angle to view the new station from.

Slightly different perspective of the new @TowerRNLI #LifeboatStation – this view (but with main logo facing left) will be similar to that from Waterloo Bridge when on site.

CHILI DOG & SEA DOG turning the new #TowerRNLI #LifeboatStation. #dlr_blog

Originally tweeted by Andrew Christy (@AJBC_1) on March 17, 2023.

Update week ending 26th March 2023

Most of the external works are now completed with the decking in place and almost all of the safety railings now fitted.The station name board signs are also in place and include a note of thanks to all the donors who have supported the project, with particular acknowledgement to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers’ Association.

CPBS Marine’s Multicat SHAKE DOG visited KGV Dock to collect the SEA DEVIL crane barge again to take it up to the Waterloo Bridge site and it was also used to transport the new link-span bridge that will connect the embankment to the new Lifeboat Station.

Over the weekend @CPBSMarine‘s SHAKE DOG moved @HerbKiereMCLtd crane barge SEA DEVIL back up to Waterloo Bridge with the link-span for the new #TowerLBS. #dlr_blog

Fast motion video of SHAKE DOG towing SEA DEVIL along up the #Thames #dlr_blog

Originally tweeted by Andrew Christy (@AJBC_1) on March 27, 2023.

Update 31st March 2023

Late afternoon of 29th March Multicats SEA DOG & SHAKE DOG with workboat SNOOP DOG arrived at the KGV Lock and loaded the remaining components of the mooring collars before repositioning alongside the new pier in the KGV Dock.

Early the next morning (30th March 2023) the delivery journey began – seemed to be a slight delay in getting the Bascule Bridge to lift (a seemingly recurring issue in the Royal Docks).

Unfortunately for a project of significant public interest to Londoners there was no advance notice of the date and time of the move up the Thames through London – this meant that luck (mainly bad for me!!) dictated what you got to witness.

I just managed to catch the group passing through the Thames barrier.

I eventually caught up with the group as they approached West India Pier where SEA DOG moved in to position as stern tug for the transit through the bridges and GOLDEN STAR was waiting carrying a welcoming committee.

I then waited at Tower Bridge for the group’s arrival – a little surprised that a welcoming bridge lift hadn’t been arranged but then again it was during the morning peak time!

PLA Harbour Master’s launch BARNES had also joined the group at Canary Wharf to provide an escort through the bridges and higher density traffic area of the central Thames area.

The backlighting also made getting photos from my vantage point challenging to say the least!

RNLI Lifeboat E-07 HIRLEY BURLY joined the group at Tower Bridge to escort the new station up to Waterloo Bridge.

The new station passing the City of London.

I had hoped to be able to get ahead of the group but that wasn’t possible so I saw the arrival at Waterloo Bridge from alongside and then I repositioned up on to Waterloo Bridge to get some shots of the new station in situ and to watch the attachment of the mooring collars.

Later in the day the crane barge SEA DEVIL had moved alongside the new pier ready to install the link-span .

There is a little more work to do to the new station and there will be a period of testing before it is declared operational but this is expected to be during April 2023.

An interesting project to have followed from the arrival of the pontoon to seeing the finished station on site.

The following vessels are known to have contributed to the project through the provision of a variety of towage, transport and/or lifting services.

operatorvessel
CPBS MarineBULLDOG
CHILI DOG
HOUND DOG
SEA DOG
SHAKE DOG
SNOOP DOG
Livett’sARTEMIS
THAMES VIXEN
Marine Support ThamesPROSPER
Palmers Marine ServicesHORTON
Thamescraft DrydockingFELIX
Other craft
TugGOLIATH
Herbosch-Kiere Crane BargeSEA DEVIL
Red 7 Marine Pontoon HAVEN SEABREEZE
Marine Support Thames BargePRODUCER
CPBS – passenger boat (welcome committee)GOLDEN STAR

Final update – on Friday, 28th April 20223, the Tower RNLI temporary detachment at HMS President RNR stood down with operations transferring to the new station at Waterloo Bridge.

On Friday, 23rd June 2023 HRH The Duke of Kent officially opened the new Tower Lifeboat Station.

The RNLI is a charity and the cost of replacing the lifeboat station is considerable so please consider supporting their appeal by clicking here.

More pictures from the project can be seen here.

#dlr_blog review of 2021

Looking back on 2021 the ongoing impact of Covid-19 continued to affect the number of vessels visiting the Thames and London although things did pick up during the second part of the year. Locally based vessels still made up the majority of movements on the river but cargo and inland freight operations did bring in some visitors.

The operations at the Tate and Lyle plant continued and regular supplies of raw materials continued albeit with slightly fewer ships visiting than in previous years. A full list of visitors can be seen here.

Jervis Bay at Thames Refinery

There was just one Cruise Ship visitor during 2021 but it was a maiden call for Crystal Endeavour so definitely welcome.

Crystal Endeavour

Another “star” visitor paying it’s first visit to London and the Thames was the research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough which spent a few days at Greenwich before making it’s inaugural journey South to Antarctica.

RRS Sir David Attenborough

The situation with regards to Luxury Yachts was a little better in 2021. The early part of the year saw a number of smaller “expedition” yachts visit London but as restrictions eased a number of large Superyachts made an appearance culminating in the rare situation of having four of these vessels on the Thames at the same time at the beginning of December.

Whilst there were only a few sailing ship visitors to the Thames during 2021 there were a few sail-powered cargo deliveries including a visit in to the Royal Docks by wind-powered Thames Sailing Barge BLUE MERMAID.

In respect of visiting military vessels things started slowly with four Royal Navy Archer-Class patrol vessels visiting over a period of days in late March – these are regular visitors on training voyages as described in this article.

As the year progressed a number of other vessels came to the Thames and this included further visits from RN Patrol Vessels, including HMS SEVERN in a new “Western Approaches” style disruptive pattern camouflage on it’s way to it’s recommissioning ceremony.

HMS Severn P282

There were also visits from foreign warships for the DSEI event at London ExCel and a port call by NATO’s SNMCMG1 that spent a few days in the KGV Lock.

SNMCMG1 in KGV

The conclusion of phase 1 of the CADP project for London City Airport in 2020 and the ongoing Covid restrictions did have an impact on the number of visitors to the Royal Docks although the biennial DSEi defence show did bring a small number of visiting warships to the Docks as did a visit from NATO’s SNMCG1.

Cargo ship in KGV Lock

December also brought some interesting visitors to the KGV Lock & Dock with the rare visit of a cargo ship with MV RUNNER brining in parts of a Tunnel Boring Machine followed by a joint Border Force / Met Police water rescue training exercise.

A few vessel statistics for 2021 (some vessels visited more than once):

  • Bulk cargo ships visiting Thames Refinery – 17 deliveries
  • Other Cargo ships (mainly doing pick-ups from Charlton + a few Tideway project related) – 31
  • Naval vessels – 23 (5 connected with DSEi)
  • Cruise ships – 1
  • Sailing ships – 4 (2 sail cargo trips).
  • Luxury Yachts – 12
  • Visitors to KGV Lock – 175 (many of these were multiple visitors and i might have missed a few!!)

A couple of other events of note that took place in the Docks area were the first Docklands Formula-E race and MUDSKIPPER, a walking-boat sculpture.

Hopefully 2022 will bring a range of new and interesting visitors to the Thames.

To see more of my pictures (not just of boats!) click here or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

#dlr_blog review of 2020

When 2020 started things were looking quite promising with quite a few new and interesting vessels planning to pay a visit to the Thames in London – then Covid-19 struck the world and things changed dramatically for so many people in so many ways.

The River Thames was very quiet with only limited numbers of movements from mainly locally based operators such as key workers of the Port of London Authority and vessels belonging to the Police, Fire Service and the RNLI.

Some of the local tug operations continued such as the refuse collections by Cory and some construction projects that used river transport continued, either with some down-time or at reduced levels. More pictures of these tugs can be seen here.

Thames Clippers also introduced new branding in connection with their partnership with Uber in the form of Uber Boat and another venture they launched was a fast parcel river delivery service in conjunction with DHL.

The Thames Tideway Tunnel project continued to transport spoil, tunnel segments and construction materials using the river and also delivered a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) by river with MTS Vanquish bringing in TBM Selina on top of jack-up transporter barge Skylift 3000.

The main impact was on the number of visitors from outside London. As the table below shows, only a handful of military vessels visited and very few luxury yachts, Only two tall ships called in London and no cruise liners at all this year.

HMS Tamar
Pelican of London

Traditional Thames Sailing Barge WILL did operate a commercial cargo run up the Thames during September using sail power for as much of the trip up the Thames as was safe and practicable to do so.

SB Will

The operations at the Tate and Lyle plant continued and regular supplies of raw materials continued albeit with slightly fewer ships visiting than in previous years. A full list of visitors can be seen here.

Ikuchi Island + tugs

Work on the London City Airport CADP phase one was completed and all the vessels and equipment had left by early September. The Livett’s Group continued to operate from their logistics base in the KGV Dock and a few PR events staged from the KGV Lock. A review of the CADP project can be seen here.

Busy KGV Dock with CADP traffic

The Wood Wharf floating restaurant project being the source of a number of movements during the year and a report can be seen here.

Wood Wharf floating restaurant project

Towards the end of the year a couple of celebrities went floating past – the first was Borat helping to promote a film and then in November Liam Gallagher filmed the Down by the River Thames concert on a barge.

Borat!

A few vessel statistics for 2020 (some vessels visited more than once):

  • Bulk cargo ships visiting Thames Refinery – 21 deliveries
  • Other Cargo ships (mainly doing pick-ups from Charlton + a few Tideway project related) – 37
  • Naval vessels – 5 (4 RN + 1 HNLMS)
  • Cruise ships – 0
  • Sailing ships – 2 (1 sail cargo trip and 1 in connection with the Darwin 200 events).
  • Luxury Yachts – 3 (of which 2 were smaller expedition size vessels)
  • Visitors to KGV Lock – 135 (many of these were multiple visitors and i might have missed a few!!)

A strange year with many long-lasting impacts for many people but hopefully things will rebound as 2021 progresses – we will have to wait to see what that looks like in terms of traffic on the Thames.

To see more of my pictures (not just of boats!) click here or follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

London City Airport new taxiway goes live

When the airfield opened for business on Monday 23rd November 2020 the new parallel taxiway became available for operational use.

The first commercial passenger flight to make use of the new taxiway at London City Airport was KLM flight KL994 to Amsterdam operated by E190 PH-EZY. A pity it was after dark so not the best images but still on record for posterity.

The new taxiway is a core element of the London City Airport Development Programme (CADP) and it extends from the end of the former apron area and runs past the area for the provision of up to eight new aircraft parking stands and then connects with and newly expanded Eastern holding area.

New aircraft parking apron with Operations Vehicles

The work also includes a new taxiway link (Taxiway Foxtrot) to the runway which connects at the location of the turning circle that was put in place when the runway was first built.

Removing the temporary closure barriers from Link Foxtrot

The new taxiway also includes three new interim holding points, these are designated Tango 7, Tango 8 and Tango 9 and are located between the end of the new apron (just West of the link Foxtrot) and the newly enlarged Eastern holding area (just West of link Kilo).

Overview of the new taxiway at LCY

On Friday the 13th November 2020 the first trials of the new taxiway were undertaken by British Airways Cityflyer Embraer E190 G-LCYO. The aircraft ran through a number of pre-planned taxi patterns to test that the various entry and exit profiles between the taxiway and runway met the design parameters and to provide general feedback on the use of the taxiway and new link and holds. A second test run was undertaken after dark to ensure a full test of the new facility.

The following timelapse video shows the afternoon test run.

The new taxiway also has space for a vehicle path for Airfield Operations and Airport Fire Service vehicles and a parking layby is provided just West of holding point Tango 9.

The purpose of the new taxiway is mainly focused on improving runway utilisation rates by removing the need to provide wider separation between aircraft during runway back-tracking operations. This has obvious safety benefits and should help reduced the number of missed approaches caused by aircraft not clearing the active runway in a timely manner.

A further benefit should be a reduction in the time between engine startup and wheels up from the runway as the extra space and removal of the back-tracking requirement should help save time and reduce ground noise and emissions.

A full video showing the taxiway trials , including some night footage, can be seen below.

CADP @ LCY (London City Airport Development Programme)

Back in 2016 London CIty Airport (LCY) finally received planning permission on appeal for a £480m expansion programme, known as City Airport Development Programme (CADP), which was to include a new parallel taxiway, new aircraft stands and an expansion of the passenger terminal alongside various enabling works.

View West along the KGV Dock prior to commencement of CADP works

In the pre-Covid-19 world these improvements were needed to meet the ever growing numbers of passengers making use of LCY and the new aircraft stands would also allow the airport to be used by newer generation aircraft with a smaller environmental footprint. The future is somewhat less certain at this time!

Another key element of the programme was to deliver a full length parallel taxiway which would increase the operational capacity of the airport and would also bring safety and environmental benefits.

Both the additional aircraft stands and the new parallel taxiway would be built in the KGV Dock and rather than filing in part of the Dock to create the new land the decision was taken to construct a concrete platform – as had been done for the previous apron extension a few years earlier.

This would entail the placing of around 1100 piles and 6222 precast concrete segments to create the terminal extension base, aircraft stands and parallel taxiway.

At the height of the works the KGV Dock was the businest it has been since the early 1980s with numbers of tugs and barges (but no large ships) criss-crossing the waters on a daily basis.

As the East End of London and especially the various Dock areas had been a prime target for bombing raids during WW2 before any construction works could take place a full survey of the Dock had needed to be undertaken to look for any unexploded bombs (UXBs).

A number of floating dive platforms were constructed by TopBond PLC who also made use of a number of their vessels to support a systematic survey of the Dock floor – turns out it was a good job they did as they found a 500lb UXB near the existing apron extension – this led to a airport and neighbourhood closure until the device was removed for disposal (story of the UXB incident here).

The construction of the concrete platforms over the Dock would be lead by BAM Nuttall and for this they established a logistics base on the the Southern dock edge with two static cranes and then used a number of floating work pontoon some of which were constructed from modular floating blocks. These pontoons were then used to drill the holes for the piles and then to left the piling tubes in to place and finally to pour the cement in to the casings.

The concrete beams and decking were then craned in to place like a giant jigsaw puzzle – 6222 pieces in total.

Most of the spoil that was excavated was removed by barge to be used in various land reclamation projects in the Thames estuary and this did save large numbers of lorry movements but it was a little surprising that only limited use was made of water transport for the delivery of the construction materials.

All of the pile casings and concrete beams were transported by road to the Royal Docks before being transferred to the construction barges in the Dock.

Once the decking had been completed the final preparation works, including the placement of dock-edge safety fencing, were completed ready for the commissioning trails that led to the operational availability of the new parking stands and parallel taxiway.

Vessels known to have operated in the KGV Dock in support of the CADP project include:

Topbond

Issac
Naom 1
Thor
Toplift
Toploader

GPS Marine

Distributor
GPS Anglia
GPS Arcadia
GPS Battler
GPS Cambria
GPS Cervia
GPS Iberia
GPS Illyria
GPS India
GPS Ionia
GPS Napia
Racia

Thamescraft Dry Docking Services

Dalby Venture
Devour
Devout
Emilia D
Jack D

Livett’s Group

Christian
Felix
Steven B
Thames Vixen

CWL

Haven Supporter
Husky
Malamute
Punisher
Opus One – renamed Siberian

MST Workboats

Progress
Protector

Other operators

C C MarineApprentice
Portflair LtdJean T
Port of London AuthorityGalloper
Port of London AuthorityThame
Port of London AuthorityYantlet
Predator Marine ChartersAssassin
Predator Marine ChartersJumbo
S WalshSWS Essex
S WalshSWS Norfolk
Thames Marine ServicesArmador II
Thames Marine ServicesGosso
Thames Marine ServicesHeiko
Helena