construction aggregates further up the river, thus reducing pressure on the congested road network. The MPA therefore generally supports the Emerging Goals that are identified in the Thames Vision document. In particular we support the Goal 2.1 for the Port of London to be ever Port of ‘the busiest London, handling 60 80 million tonnes of cargo each year, on the doorstep of – Europe’s biggest metropolitan consumer market.’ The minerals industry will be one of the sectors which provides the sector ‘sustained private that is sought, and will require the PLA to provide support in enabling it to investment’ maintain and expand operations and safeguard existing sites from direct loss and encroachment, and also from operational constraints resulting from inappropriate development taking place nearby. We also generally support the Goal 2.2 for inland freight and to have goods and ‘more materials moved between wharves on the we are disappointed at the river’. However, apparent lack of ambition in this Goal, particularly compared to the overall one for the growth of the Port, as it only seeks to maintain the status quo of the tonnage carried by water in 2014. The goal should be to increase this amount, in line with the wider Goal for the Port, and be reflected in the target proposed to be included in the Concordat. The actions to deliver the Goals obviously are critical. Again, a lack of ambition is demonstrated in only seeking the re-activation of three wharves over the next 10 years. The Vision should be seeking to reactivate as many wharves as possible, and some in a shorter timescale, in conjunction with industry including the minerals companies, to enable delivery of a more ambitious goal. Our members are experiencing significant growth in demand and are looking for opportunities to expand operations significantly. Additional actions are also required to deliver these Goals. Some BMAPA members have highlighted difficulties in securing Pilotage Exemption Certificates following the widened scope under the Marine Navigation Act 2013, which extends the eligibility to hold a PEC to any deck officer. Unfortunately, the examination process PLA (as the competent harbour authority) have introduced makes it more difficult to secure these. In the absence of sufficient PECs, vessels are required to take a pilot to navigate up to their berth. However, with insufficient pilots available to support the number of vessel movements required on each tide (6 pilots for 26 vessel movements on one occasion), there is evidence that aggregate dredgers are increasingly being overlooked in favour of larger vessels. This
construction aggregates further up the river, thus reducing pressure on the congested road network. The MPA therefore generally supports the Emerging Goals that are identified in the Thames Vision document. In particular we support the Goal 2.1 for the Port of London to be ‘the busiest ever Port of London, handling 60 – 80 million tonnes of cargo each year, on the doorstep of Europe’s biggest metropolitan consumer market.’ The minerals industry will be one of the sectors which provides the ‘sustained private sector investment’ that is sought, and will require the PLA to provide support in enabling it to maintain and expand operations and safeguard existing sites from direct loss and encroachment, and also from operational constraints resulting from inappropriate development taking place nearby. We also generally support the Goal 2.2 for inland freight and to have ‘more goods and materials moved between wharves on the river’. However, we are disappointed at the apparent lack of ambition in this Goal, particularly compared to the overall one for the growth of the Port, as it only seeks to maintain the status quo of the tonnage carried by water in 2014. The goal should be to increase this amount, in line with the wider Goal for the Port, and be reflected in the target proposed to be included in the Concordat. The actions to deliver the Goals obviously are critical. Again, a lack of ambition is demonstrated in only seeking the re-activation of three wharves over the next 10 years. The Vision should be seeking to reactivate as many wharves as possible, and some in a shorter timescale, in conjunction with industry including the minerals companies, to enable delivery of a more ambitious goal. Our members are experiencing significant growth in demand and are looking for opportunities to expand operations significantly. Additional actions are also required to deliver these Goals. Some BMAPA members have highlighted difficulties in securing Pilotage Exemption Certificates following the widened scope under the Marine Navigation Act 2013, which extends the eligibility to hold a PEC to any deck officer. Unfortunately, the examination process PLA (as the competent harbour authority) have introduced makes it more difficult to secure these. In the absence of sufficient PECs, vessels are required to take a pilot to navigate up to their berth. However, with insufficient pilots available to support the number of vessel movements required on each tide (6 pilots for 26 vessel movements on one occasion), there is evidence that aggregate dredgers are increasingly being overlooked in favour of larger vessels. This
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