The Port of London Authority has successfully sued the master of a vessel which struck Hammersmith Bridge on the River Thames in December 2023.
The verdict was handed down to Daniel Davis, master of the Emerald of London at Westminster Magistrates Court on 26 September 2024.
Having previously made a partial admission of guilt to the charge of navigating the vessel ‘in a manner liable to injure or endanger persons, other vessels, the banks of the Thames (whether above or below mean high water level) or any structure or installation in or beside the Thames’, Davis was fined £1,900 (reduced to £1,500 in light of his previous good character) and ordered to pay the PLA’s costs of £10,000 (reduced from £12,800).
“Thankfully, no one was injured but the standard of Mr Davis’s navigation of his vessel fell significantly below the high standards we set for navigational safety on the tidal Thames,” said PLA chief harbour master, James Stride.
“We will continue to take action against masters who demonstrate insufficient care and attention on the river.”
On 10 December 2023, with more than 100 passengers on board travelling to attend a match at Fulham Football Club, the London Party Boats-owned Emerald of London struck the underside of Hammersmith Bridge.
Due to a combination of high tide and river water, there was insufficient clearance for the vessel to navigate safely under the bridge – something that Davis should have anticipated and planned for, the court found.
