The PLA's role

Laying moorings (click on image to enlarge)

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant is unprecedented in the history of the Thames.  The complex and ambitious event will see a flotilla of powered, rowing and sailing vessels following the crowd-lined river from Wandsworth to Tower Bridge on June 3, 2012.

It will be an incredible spectacle but, with 1,000 boats on the river in central London, it’s also a major logistical challenge.

We have been working closely with the event organisers – the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation - to ensure safety is a priority in all that’s planned. In addition to helping plan for a safe event, we are getting the river ready for it by placing moorings and will be out on the river in force on 3 June to run the event safely. 

We have led a group of river, boat and emergency service experts in scrutinising and advising on proposals for the pageant.

In the weeks running up to the event, we will be:

• laying more than three miles of moorings chain to ensure the extra boats gathering for the event can be accommodated safely;
• guiding vessels into position;
• surveying participating boats to ensure they’re seaworthy; and
• fielding media interest from around the world.

On the day itself, 100 PLA staff will be drafted in to, among other duties, man more than 30 boats involved in marshalling the event.

These crews will be in addition to the pilots, river patrols, harbour masters, Vessel Traffic Services Officers, marine engineers, navigation systems experts and IT specialists who will be working to keep the rest of the port – Britain’s second biggest – running as normal on the day.