That's a big one!
BRITISH Waterways yesterday, Thursday, welcomed the largest ever known ship to visit London Docklands as part of a warm-up operation ahead of the 2012 Olympic summer.
Luxury cruise liner MS Deutschland berthed in South Quay, London Docklands for a 36 hours visit to the capital following an impressive display of piloting which saw the 175.3m length and 23m beam cruise ship manoeuvre into the West India Ship Lock early in the morning.
Tight fit
The historic lock is 178m in length and 24.4m wide, meaning there was just enough room to fit the vessel into the lock and bring her into the deep water berths of South Quay, at the heart of Canary Wharf, London's leading financial district.
Following the trial-run, British Waterways has signed a deal to allow the cruise liner to berth in London Docklands during summer 2012, when it will play host to the German Olympic Committee.
Super yachts
The liner will be joined by a selection of some of the world's most exclusive super yachts along with tall ships and smaller leisure vessels, who have welcomed the opportunity to moor in London Docklands.
Billy Smith, British Waterways' Dockmaster and Tidal Locks Supervisor, explained:
"The operation to fit a vessel of this size into West India Lock is an impressive sight to behold, as there are literally just inches to spare. Bringing MS Deutschland into the Docks is a real achievement. The manoeuvre into the confined space of the lock shows how good planning, combined with the skill of the teams involved worked to ensure the berthing operation was successful.
"I have worked on the River Thames and in the Docks since 1962, and have lived on the Isle of Dogs for most of my life. This is the largest ship that I have ever seen navigate through the lock. To fit her in we use the high tides and insist she's brought in stern first, an unusual and interesting operation for the river pilots and the captain.
"I'm quite pleased the tides meant this was a night-time operation, as the addition of a crowd would have been extra pressure during such a technical manoeuvre!"
Accommodate guests
The ship will accommodate guests of the German Olympic Sports Confederation who have also announced that they will be using the Museum of London Docklands as ‘Deutsches Haus' (Germany House) during the Games period.
We are told that all the income generated from the mooring charges will be reinvested in maintaining the 2,000 mile network of inland waterways.