PLA Galleries

The 35th Barge Driving match organised by the Transport on Water (TOW) Association, took place on Saturday 11th July 2009. The unique event rowed over a course of seven miles between Greenwich and Westminster was won for the fourth time by the PLA crew in their barge Blackwall.

The TOW Barge Race 2012 took place in glorious sunshine on Saturday, 21 July. The winning barge was Diana, Trinity Buoy Wharf. PLA’s barge, Blackwall, placed third overall.

The 38th TOW Barge Race was held on Saturday, 13 July 2013. The race is rowed over a course of seven miles between the palaces of Greenwich and Westminster. It showcases the skills of Watermen and Lightermen in navigating under oars, using only their own strength, experience and the tide to propel their craft, which can weigh up to 30 tonnes. The PLA crew on barge, Blackwall, took their seventh win in eight years.

A Port of London Authority (PLA) team won the annual Transport on Water (TOW) Barge Race on the Thames on Saturday, 4 July.

The Thames Barge Sailing Match is believed to be the longest running, regularly organised, national racing event for traditional sail in the world. This year’s event, held on Saturday, 13 July 2013, and marked the 150th running of the match. It was run for the first time over a course finishing at Erith.

Over 1,000 people attended the recent PLA-hosted Thames Careers Day. Visitors learnt about training opportunities and Thames operations from 24 exhibitors, before seeing round the PLA’s Marine Services base at Denton Wharf.

We supported this year’s Thames Festival river photo competition which was won by Adam Lister. Adam’s prize is a visit to our Port Control Centre and a trip on our harbour service launch.

Thames Lens Competition 2016

Thames Lens Competition 2018

After seven years of planning by the PLA and its partners on the river on 11 July 2012 vessels started to arrive on the Thames for London Olympic Games 2012. It marked the start of a stream of vessel arrivals and events on the river in the run up to the Opening Ceremony on 27 July 2012. Our best shots of the Games build up on the river are in our latest photo gallery.