This follows MBNA Thames Clippers’ five-year contract win to manage cruise moorings for Central London’s Greenwich Ship Tier, Tower Bridge Upper and George’s Stair Tier, and to handle all ship to shore transfers on behalf of the Port of London Authority (PLA).
New high-speed catamaran
The UK capital expects to receive 42 cruise calls this year, potentially bringing more than 25,000 passengers. MBNA Thames Clippers will deploy Venus Clipper, the operator’s newest high-speed catamaran, among other vessels, to transfer cruise passengers.
Tilbury gains River Bus service
Over 100,000 cruise passengers pass through Port of Tilbury and ports in Scotland each year. The contract allows MBNA Thames Clippers to offer its River Bus services, giving cruise passengers the chance to explore the city’s major attractions via existing routes.
‘London is a hugely attractive tourist destination. It makes perfect sense that the Thames, one of its most-loved featuresm should play a central role in the visitor story and the capital certainly has the potential of significantly increasing cruise business,' said Sean Collins, founder and CEO MBNA Thames Clippers.
‘This was a great opportunity for MBNA Thames Clippers, and we want to continue building on this momentum in partnership with Port of Tilbury and our London Cruise & Yacht venture.’
Three moorings at the heart of the capital, close to major tourist sites
Greenwich Ship Tier is central London’s largest deep-water mooring, accommodating vessels up to 228mtr in length and draft up to 8.1mtr. It is situated five miles downstream from Tower Bridge close to the Naval College and Cutty Sark. Vessels moored here are serviced through PLA’s floating cruise terminal.
Tower Bridge Upper mooring caters to smaller, specialist vessels up to 158mtr in length (draft 6mtr). Situated 300mtr from Tower Bridge, it shares the moorings with HMS Belfast.
George’s Stair Tier handles vessels up to 120mtr in length (draft 2mtr), making it suitable for super-yachts.
Keeping up with demand
To keep up with passenger demand MBNA Thames Clippers added two new 170-passenger fast ferries in 2015 to its growing river transport network operating across London.
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