Centres
The PLA originally had its headquarters on Tower Hill in the City of London, but today has its headquarters at London River House and Royal Terrace Pier in Gravesend. The PLA retains a presence in the City however, with offices at Bakers' Hall on Harp Lane, where the Chairman, Chief Executive and Secretary of the authority are based.
Control of ship traffic on the Thames within the Port is orchestrated from two Port Control centres - one at the Thames Barrier (the Thames Barrier Navigation Centre) in Woolwich, for reaches upstream of Erith, and the other at Gravesend (the main Port Control) for reaches downstream of Erith. Both Port Control centres operate the same system for coordinating traffic within the PLA's jurisdiction of the Thames, known as Vessel Traffic Services (VTS). The system involves 16 radar stations along the river and out in the estuary.
The PLA owns Denton Wharf and Jetty in Gravesend, which is the main base for the authority's vessels and where the PLA maintains its fleet of over 40 vessels, the team also provides lift-out and maintenance services for other River users. The PLA owns Barrier Gardens Pier and Unity House, located near to their control centre at the Thames Barrier which provides a convenient base for their Driftwood vessels. There are also two pilot stations at Harwich and Ramsgate, which are located beyond the estuary and the Port of London. From these stations, pilots are sent out and return from large vessels entering and leaving the port.
Around 360 people are employed by the Port of London Authority.
Read more about this topic: Port Of London Authority
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