Navigation information, boatyard details, emergency numbers and a history of the marina.
Traffic on the River Thames in London is controlled by the Port of London Authority (PLA) control room at the Thames Barrier (callsign: ‘London VTS’).
When navigating the river, you must keep a listening watch on VHF channel 68 from the estuary upstream to Crayford Ness. For upstream of Crayford Ness, you should listen on VHF channel 14 for any instructions and to get clearance for the barrier.
For useful navigational information and speed limits for the river, download the PLA guide on Tidal Thames or download the mobile app.
The location is: 51o30’.07N 00o00’.50.
South Dock is on the south bank of the River Thames, immediately downstream of Greenland Pier.
The entrance is 2.7 miles downstream of Tower Bridge, 1.15 miles upstream of Greenwich Pier and 4.3 miles upstream of the Thames Barrier.
There's a waiting berth on the shore (inner) side of Greenland Pier on the downstream arm. Mooring on this jetty can be quite rough due to commercial traffic. Leisure users should always give way to commercial vessels using the pier.
You can communicate with us via:
You can also email southdockmarina@southwark.gov.uk.
We're open:
The marina is accessible by a sea lock that operates during office hours with sufficient water.
For a 2-metre draft vessel, this is nominally 2 hours before high water to 1.5 hours after high water.
The lock cill is 2.85 metres above chart datum. In calculating sufficient depth on the cill for a specific draft, deduct 2.85 metres from the predicted tide level. We suggest you allow a minimum of 0.3 metres extra for safety, as there can be significant wash on the river due to the number and size of vessels passing the lock entrance.
The lock has a maximum length of 31 metres and a maximum clear width at the gates of 6.5 metres. For safe navigation our maximum length of boat is 25 metres overall and our beam limit is normally 6 metres.
Due to the height of the lock cill, we usually do not accept vessels with more than 2.6 metres unless on a spring tide.
When entering the lock, listen for instructions from the Dock Masters. Our lock has rope loops on both sides to stabilise vessels; these can be held from the vessel deck.
If the lock is being loaded with multiple vessels, it's important to listen to instructions and only release your lines when instructed to leave the lock. During busy periods, the lock may be filled with multiple vessels in close contact.
For visiting boats, the Dock Master will provide your berth allocation and directions to the berth when you're in the lock.
The marina is covered by a CCTV system and all gates are controlled by an access control system. Depending on what part of the marina you're berthed, you'll be issued with either an electronic key fob (against a £15 returnable deposit) or a 4-figure access code.