Tag Archives: London

The new Venice? Huge cruise ships could invade Thames in two years as new passenger terminal planned for Greenwich

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  • It is hoped the new terminal would open in 2017 at Enderby Wharf
  • Ships up to 820ft long would stop near the Old Royal Naval College 
  • River Thames isn’t deep enough to accommodate world’s largest ships 
  • New plans will be submitted within weeks to Greenwich council

London could soon become a popular destination for large cruise ships if plans for a new passenger terminal in Greenwich move forward.

It is hoped that the mooring at Enderby Wharf would open in 2017 and become the capital’s first new terminal since the closure of the Royal Docks in 1981.

The hub would allow ships up to 820ft long to stop near popular tourist attractions such as the Old Royal Naval College and Cutty Sark, The Times reported.

Smaller cruise ships can dock alongside HMS Belfast after sailing past Tower Bridge's raised bascules

New plans from Westcourt Real Estate are to be submitted to Greenwich council within weeks and show that the mooring would be used for the start and finish of cruises, the newspaper reported.

Westcourt has not revealed the cost of the new terminal, and lead architect Jonathan Manser said a previous design failed to meet the requirements.

Qantas A380 forced to divert after engine problem

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Qantas A380 forced to divert after engine problem

Nov 04, 2011 08:30AM GMT

Qantas A380 forced to divert after engine problem

A Qantas Airbus A380 ‘superjumbo’ flying from Singapore to London was forced to divert to Dubai due to engine problems.

The airline said the aircraft landed safely in the Emirate “following an issue” with one of its four engines. The A380 was carrying 258 passengers and 25 crew when the aircraft suffered a problem with oil pressure, forcing one of the engines to be shut down for more than two hours.

One of the passengers on board was actor, writer and comedian Stephen Fry. He tweeted: “Bugger. Forced to land in Dubai. An engine has decided not to play.”

The incident came a year to the day since the engine of another Qantas A380 developed problems over Singapore, forcing a two week grounding of the fleet. But Qantas described the latest incident as a “one-off” and said it was working to arrange alternative flights to take passengers on to London.