Thames set for a bright future

March 16, 2016 - Port of London Authority (PLA) chairman, Christopher Rodrigues CBE has heralded a bright future for the Thames, identifying strong prospects for growth and a new skills academy to facilitate the training of people to work on the river. Addressing over 250 Thames stakeholders onboard the passenger boat, Silver Sturgeon, including shipping minister Robert Goodwill MP, PLA chairman Rodrigues marked a strong year of growing river use, with port trade exceeding 45 million tonnes and over 10 million passenger trips on the Thames. He said activity on the river is expected to grow strongly over the next 20 years, with the Thames Vision project identifying six goals for growth:
• the biggest ever Port of London;
• 20 million passengers on the river;
• more freight moved on the Thames;
• greater participation in sport; combined with
 • an improved environment; and
 • more people enjoying the river than ever before.

“The Vision is a perfect device for gathering together all river users – large and small – behind a program that ensures the development of a vibrant, safe, commercially successful river not just in the next year or two, but for 20 years ahead,” Rodrigues said. “Perhaps as importantly, the launch of the Vision is starting to change what people say about the Thames. It is the beating heart of our city and a great future beckons for all its future stakeholders. “The Vision represents a major project for the PLA, but it cannot be delivered by the PLA alone. If ever there was a “we” project, this is it.

 There is unanimous support for pushing ahead and for the PLA to play a leading role in driving the vision forward. We are grasping the baton you have given us and asserted that we are the Custodians of the Tidal Thames.

“There’s still a lot of work to do. We’ll start with the low hanging fruit this year and work with interested parties to develop implementation plans for the strategic projects and to confront the trade offs those projects will require. It is an exciting time for the Thames and no better time to work on the river.” 

Well-trained, skilled people are vital to making the most of the new opportunities highlighted in the Thames Vision. The recently created Thames Skills Academy (TSA), a new initiative by the PLA, Transport for London, Tideway (who are building the Thames Tideway Tunnel) and the Company of Watermen & Lightermen, will be established as a Group Training Association - a learning and skills partnership where employers subscribe to sector-specific off-the-job training in order to provide efficient, expertly-delivered skills that meet the River’s needs.