Published on: 01 July 2021
An NHS Trust has become the first in the country to pilot a daily riverboat delivery service as part of plans to reduce its carbon footprint. Guy’s and St Thomas’ has teamed up with British Marine member Livett’s Group and CEVA Logistics to run a riverboat service to deliver supplies to the Trust hospitals and sites in London. If the pilot is successful, the service will operate on a larger scale, removing trucks from the capital’s roads while providing a reliable delivery route into London during the day.
The Trust’s three delivery trucks currently travel around 1,500 miles per week. For each truck removed from the road, approximately 708 kgs of CO2 could be saved per week. The service would help Guy’s and St Thomas’ work towards its aim of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2030, and support the Mayor of London’s aim to reduce the number of lorries and vans entering central London in the morning peak by 10% by 2026.
Edward Livett, Director of Livett’s Group, said: “We are very excited and proud to be a part of this trial as it is a clear example of the positive use of the River Thames, something we are constantly striving for. Livett’s specialise in river logistics and as a Group have assets from Putney down to Gravesend which we are confident will help make this trial an absolute success. We look forward to helping freight back onto the river and proving it to be an environmentally sustainable and safe solution.”
The riverboat pilot service will run twice a day, five days a week. Parcels will be loaded onto the boat at Dartford International Ferry Terminal in Kent, before making the journey to Butler’s Wharf Pier in London. The parcels, which include clinical supplies for operating theatres, will then be transported by Absolutely, the final mile delivery partner, on electric cargo bikes to Guy’s Hospital.
The three-month pilot launched on Clean Air Day (17 June) is part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ wider sustainability strategy which sets out a clear path towards more sustainable healthcare for the next 10 years.
David Lawson, Chief Procurement Officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “The riverboat pilot forms a key part in our ambition to remove over 40,000 truck deliveries from central London roads each year. We also want to encourage and support other organisations to adopt the use of zero emission delivery models to improve air quality for the communities that we serve.”
James Trimmer, planning & environment director at the Port of London Authority, said: “This innovative scheme is another great example of the river’s potential as a green superhighway. It’s a win-win situation; the tidal Thames can help rebuild the economy post the pandemic and both reduce carbon emissions and air pollution in the capital.”
For further details about the riverboat delivery service, please visit this webpage.