Assessment of Boatyard Facilities on the River Thames - Mayor of ...

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There have been few improvements to the quality or capacity <strong>of</strong> boatyards in
Greater London since 2000
8 There have been few improvements to the quality <strong>of</strong> facilities or capacity <strong>of</strong>
boatyards at boatyards in Greater London since 2000. The most significant
improvements have taken place at Thames Dry Docking, Greenwich with the
installation <strong>of</strong> larger floating dry docks.
Public sector requirements
9 There are significant public sector requirements for maintenance facilities
such as the three Woolwich ferries, River Police boats, LCDFA fireboats and the piers
operated by London River Services (LRS). In part these needs are met by dedicated
workshops at Woolwich (for the Woolwich ferry) and Wapping (for the River Police).
Lack <strong>of</strong> emergency facilities
10 There is a lack <strong>of</strong> facilities for emergency repair to propellers, rudders etc.
Operators overcome this deficiency by grounding vessels at low tide in Central
London or using the hard at Putney for emergency repairs. The MCA requires an
inspection <strong>of</strong> vessels out <strong>of</strong> the water following a collision or grounding accident,
there is a lack <strong>of</strong> dry dock capacity available for such emergency surveys in Greater
London.
Insufficent capacity for larger vessels in London results in the use <strong>of</strong> shipyards
in the Thames estuary and East Coast ports
11 The constraints in terms <strong>of</strong> the limited capacity to dock larger vessels in
London results in the use <strong>of</strong> shipyards in the Thames Estuary and in the East Coast
ports. Particularly important are Denton Ship Repairs, Gravesend; PLA Denton Wharf,
Gravesend; Gillingham Marina; A&P Dry Dock, Ramsgate (now re-opened under new
management); Acorn Shipyard, Rochester and ABP Port <strong>of</strong> Lowest<strong>of</strong>t. R J Turk and
Sons has opened a new facility at No. 7, Slipway Chatham Historic Dockyard that is
being marketed to Thames based passenger boat operators.
Reliance on Thames Estuary and East Coast shipyards poses significant
problems
12 There are a number <strong>of</strong> problems with the need to use shipyards in the
Thames Estuary and on the East Coast:
• these shipyards are under threat from residential-led ‘regeneration’ schemes –
George Prior at Ipswich has closed since the last study in 2000 and Acorn
Shipyard has in the past expressed concerns about the impact <strong>of</strong> the residentialled
Rochester Riverside scheme on its operations;
• there is a time penalty in using these shipyards particularly if vessels become
storm bound;
• there is a risk <strong>of</strong> damage at sea to vessels making the coastal passage; and
• a number <strong>of</strong> the larger vessels are not certificated by the MCA to make the
passage to East Coast ports.
There is an unmet need for a modern covered boat repair facility in London that is
capable <strong>of</strong> docking the larger Thames passenger vessels
<strong>Assessment</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Boatyard</strong> <strong>Facilities</strong> on the River Thames Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd - April 2007