London
UN/LOCODE GBLON · United Kingdom · Europe · LND
Crew guide
Shore leave
London Gateway (DP World) + Tilbury handle the container + general cargo for London. Standard UK crew procedure. Mission to Seafarers London Gateway operates on-site. Central London is 45-60 minutes away.
Walking distance + transit
London Gateway is at Thurrock in Essex, 45 minutes from central London by taxi + train (Chafford Hundred station is 15 minutes from the port). Tilbury is 45 minutes from central London. Both terminals have limited walking access from berth to gate.
Essentials
- ATMs: throughout the London area — everywhere
- Money changers: airports + throughout central London
- Hospital: closest is Basildon University Hospital; central London has UCLH + St Thomas's + Guy's
- Prayer rooms: East London Mosque (Whitechapel), Regent's Park Mosque, several throughout the port districts
- Halal food: extensive in Whitechapel, East Ham, Southall, and central London
- Supermarket: Tesco Express, Sainsbury's Local + full stores; many open 24/7 in central London
- SIM card: EE, O2, Vodafone, Three, plus MVNOs at any high street
Seafarer tips
Do: use an Oyster card or contactless card on Tube/bus/train — cheapest way around London. Don't: leave the ship without knowing your return-transport timing — London Gateway is genuinely far from central London and rush-hour transit is slow. Watch for: London traffic congestion can turn a 45-minute journey into 2 hours; budget generously.
Last verified: 2026-07-01. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.
London (UN/LOCODE GBLON) is a designated seaport in United Kingdom (LND) in the northern European / African Atlantic region. The port operates on Europe/London, uses the Pound Sterling (GBP), runs shore power at 230V/50Hz (Type G). Nearest major airport for crew changes is London City Airport (LCY), 13 km from the port.
Reference
- Coordinates
- 51.5074456, -0.1277653
- Time zone
- Europe/LondonUTC +00:00observes DST
- Local currency
- GBP— Pound Sterling
- Languages
- en
- Nearest airport
- LCYLondon City Airport~13 km
- Electricity
- 230 V50 Hzplugs G(country default — verify at berth)
- Climate
- CfbOceanic / temperate
Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.
- Function codes
- 1---5---
seaport · postal exchange
- Port authority
- Port of London Authority | Port of London Authority
Operational details
Compiled from public port-authority and P&I-club directories. Always verify current contacts via your agent before arrival.
Pilotage / VTS
Thames VTS (Port of London Authority)
- VHF: Ch 12 / 14 / 68 / 69
- Phone: +44 1474 562 200
- Web: www.pla.co.uk
P&I correspondents
- · Hill Dickinson London
- · Holman Fenwick Willan London
- · Thomas Miller UK P&I London
Port agents
- · Inchcape UK Tilbury
- · GAC UK
- · Clarksons Port Services
ISPS security level (normal): 1
Tilbury is primary deep-water container terminal; Thames tidal — pilotage mandatory seaward of Gravesend; London Gateway also covered by Thames VTS.
Helplines for seafarers in United Kingdom
Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.
- Sailors' SocietyGlobal · 24/7 crisis line · en
- The Mission to SeafarersGlobal · CrewHelp 24/7 · en
- Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea)Global · 24/7 emergency line · en
- Nautilus InternationalUK/NL/CH · Office hours · en, nl
- ICMA — International Christian Maritime AssociationGlobal · Office hours · en
- Seafarers' Rights InternationalGlobal · Office hours · en
Other ports in United Kingdom
Port-state-control region: paris MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.
London: seafarer FAQ
- Is shore leave allowed at London?
- Shore leave at London is governed by United Kingdom immigration rules, the flag administration's policy, and the port authority's local rules. Seafarers normally need their seaman's book + a shore-leave permit issued by the agent. Confirm with your agent before going ashore — local policy changes frequently.
- What visa or shore-pass do I need for London?
- Seafarers calling at London on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. United Kingdom may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
- Is there a seafarer welfare centre at London?
- Yes — 1 seafarer welfare centre is listed for London in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
- Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from London?
- Yes — 6 helplines are listed for United Kingdom in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
- What's the nearest hospital to London?
- Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is London City Airport (LCY), about 13 km away — useful for medevac planning.
- Is London a recognised crew-change port?
- Yes — London is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.
For the arriving crew
- Pilot ladder (SOLAS V/23) — rigging + inspection + Master's duty of care.
- Pre-arrival checklist — the standard bridge + engine + agent workflow before entering port.
- Ships' agent — role + documentation + interface with pilotage + tug + immigration.
- Currency at port — cash-carrying limits + declaration + safe practices.
- Hours of rest — STCW VIII/1 + MLC A2.3 rest rules during port operations.
Sources & verification (13)
- country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (GB)retrieved 2026-05-05
- country_name · ISO 3166-1 (GB)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (GBP)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (GBP)retrieved 2026-05-05
- languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (GB)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Europe/London)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/London)retrieved 2026-05-05
- electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (GB)retrieved 2026-05-05
- function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (1---5---)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Europe/London)retrieved 2026-05-06
- nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (LCY)retrieved 2026-05-07
- wikidata_qid · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1545354)retrieved 2026-05-07
- climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (GB)retrieved 2026-05-07
Last verified
High confidenceEditorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.