London-Greenwich (England)

Currently, all large-sized cruise vessels to London UK dock at Port Tilbury - on Thames River's north bank. Smaller ships may dock at "Greenwich Ship Tier" - located near the "Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich" and close to Greenwich Railway Station. The next photo shows the North Greenwich Pier (near The O2 Arena / multi-purpose indoor facility). The dock is used by river taxis, Thames Clippers, and other Thames-based riverboats.

Greenwich Ship Tier is a floating pontoon dock in River Thames. Tender boats are used to ferry passengers between the boat and the pier.  The Pier is on-shore and is where Thames Clippers (London City's river bus service) and various other water taxis and riverboats dock. The floating dock serves vessels with LOA length up to 748 ft (228 m).

In May 2018, Port of London Authority awarded a 5-year contract (for managing the 3 moorings) to the joint venture "Port of Tilbury" and "MBNA Thames Clippers". The deal secured smooth operations of the moorings, which in 2017 served 21 cruise ship calls (including the luxury liners Viking Sea and Silver Cloud). London's cruise moorings also serve 17 Thames Clippers (ferryboats/river bus service) with over 4,1 million passengers per year(commuters, UK and international tourists). Under the moorings contract, the joint venture manages the facilities, appoints and trains security officers and provides "London cruise" marketing and promotion campaigns.

London Greenwich Cruise Terminal

Cruise ships in London dock at Greenwich Pier on Thames River, in Royal Borough of Greenwich (one of the city's 32 boroughs). The Ship Tier (berthing facility) is operated by the Port of London Authority (PLA). Transportation options from Greenwich to central London City include bus, London Underground, light railway and scenic riverboat service to Tower Bridge. Greenwich Pier is used by smaller-sized cruise ships, megayachts, and riverboats. The next photo shows the Pier, not the Tier.

Greenwich cruise terminal is very close to National Maritime Museum. Other popular among tourist sites located nearby are Greenwich Royal Park, Queen's House, Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich Market, Royal Observatory.

(NEW) Greenwich Cruise Terminal at Enderby Wharf

In July 2015 were approved the plans for building a new cruise terminal at Enderby Wharf. These plans were hugely controversial due to residents' concern that larger ships will generate air pollution as they are powered by dirtier fuels (an equivalent of 50 trucks running their engines 24-hours a day). So the plans were upgraded by adding shore-to-ship power capabilities to the new terminal facility. Shore-To-Ship power technology enables docked vessels to receive electricity from the city's power grid. From the berth, vessels can plugin directly to the grid which allows full onboard operations without using diesel engines.

The facility will become London's first new shipping terminal since Royal Docks' closure in 1981. It will allow cruise vessels with LOA length up to 820 ft (250 m) to dock close to city's popular tourist attractions Cutty Sark (British clipper ship, built in 1869 / one of the world's fastest) and Old Royal Naval College (Maritime Greenwich, World Heritage Site).

The new plans were submitted in 2015 by Westcourt Real Estate (development company). The terminal building's size was increased to accommodate baggage handling for embarking/disembarking passengers. Construction works started in September 2015, with scheduled completion in 2018.

London Enderby Wharf port development project also includes the building of 1154 residential homes. Statistics show that Greenwich’s Royal Borough receives millions of visits each year, supports around 16000 jobs and contributes GBP 1,1 billion to London's economy. The new cruise ship terminal would bring thousands of visitors, thus boosting the city's tourism.

Unfortunately, in November 2018, the new cruise terminal plans for Enderby Wharf were withdrawn by developers as Greenwich Council ended the backing over pollution concerns. Campaigners claimed that a docked vessel would emit CO pollution equal to 600 trucks. The project was ready to receive funding from Morgan Stanley (US-based international investment bank). The new development proposals for the waterfront area no longer feature a cruise port.

Enderby Wharf site was purchased by Criterion Capital, which owns/manages a GBP 2 billion properties in London and Southeast England. Criterion Capital announced plans for new development (low-cost rental housing) project.