29.06.2020

A year of green acheivement

Pioneering work by the Port of London Authority (PLA), across carbon emission reduction, habitat improvement and air quality on the Thames, is centre stage in its 2019 Environmental Report, just released online.

The report summarises progress across three areas: cleaning the river, resource management and greening the river (biodiversity).

Highlights of the year included partnership work with the RSPB to improve habitats in North Kent and Essex, convening London’s first Greening Inland Shipping conference and completing trials using alternative, lower-emission, fuels.

Introducing the report, Tanya Ferry, head of environment at the PLA, said:

“This report reflects the breadth of our work. It captures everything we are doing to improve our performance as an organisation, alongside the projects and developments in hand to improve the Thames environment.

“Improving performance involves everything from large projects to small. Our Greening Inland Shipping event saw almost 200 people come together to discuss the long-term options for cleaner vessel emissions, for example.

“Meanwhile, our work clothing recycling scheme is a smaller initiative led by a cross PLA group. The important thing is that, in combination, they contribute to significant improvement over the long term.”

The PLA is recognised as an environmental leader in the UK ports sector. It was first to:

• publish an Air Quality Strategy;
• adopt a green discount for environmentally cleaner ships;
• publish a roadmap for inland vessel emission reduction;
• and bring a hybrid cutter, Leader, into service.

Looking to the future, Tanya Ferry concluded:

“Supporting economic recovery post COVID-19 provides us with a significant opportunity to make environmental sustainability an integral part of how we do things in our organisation and on the river.”

You can find the PLA’s 2019 Environmental Report online here.

– ends –