The self-funding public trust that looks after the 95-mile tidal River Thames, keeping ships safe and the river clean for the UK's biggest port.
The Port of London Authority, or PLA, looks after the tidal River Thames. It is responsible for a 95-mile stretch of river from Teddington Lock in west London, through the capital, past Kent and Essex and out to the North Sea. Its jobs include controlling ship traffic, keeping the channels safe, providing pilots who guide ships up the river, surveying the river bed, dredging and clearing hazards, and protecting the river's environment. It describes itself as running the UK's biggest port and as much more than a conventional port. It does not own the terminals; those are run by other companies.
The PLA states its purpose as "to protect and improve the tidal Thames for all" and its mission as "a thriving river, home to the UK's number one port". It sets three objectives: safe, sustainable and commercial. Its three behaviours are "do the right thing", "one team" and "always improving". It is a trust port, which means it reinvests what it earns back into the river and the communities along it, and it receives no government funding. It was created by the Port of London Act 1908 and began work on 31 March 1909. Its long-term plan is called Thames Vision 2050, with goals such as a cleaner, more resilient river and net zero emissions by 2040.
The PLA's main base is London River House at Gravesend in Kent, with Walsingham House in the City of London, where its Chair and Chief Executive are based. Its Port Control at Gravesend runs a vessel traffic service supported by 16 radar stations. Its fleet of more than 40 vessels is kept at Denton Wharf in Gravesend, pilots work from stations at Harwich and Ramsgate, and it operates Richmond Lock. The Thames Barrier Navigation Centre is also on its list of locations. Wikipedia gives its headcount as about 480 people in 2026.
On culture, the PLA says safety comes first for its own people, contractors and river users. It says it is strongly committed to an inclusive workplace, has a gender-balanced Board, has improved gender diversity in senior management, and is a member of Inclusive Employers. These are the organisation's own claims. Its website lists about 20 departments, including Pilotage Operations, Vessel Traffic Services, Marine Operations, Engineering, Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology, which gives a sense of how many different kinds of work sit behind one river.
The people the PLA says it employs include harbour masters and workboat crews, river and sea pilots, hydrographic surveyors, environmental scientists, engineers, commercial and planning experts and business-services professionals. If you enjoy boats, maps, data, the environment or keeping a busy system running safely, there are real jobs here that you might not know about. It is also one of the few places where a city-centre river, a global trade route and a nature habitat are looked after by the same organisation.
Website: www.pla.co.uk
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