Next year's London International Shipping Week (LISW) is to bring global leaders from shipping, finance, regulation, insurance, ports, and technology to the UK capital for dialogue and deal-making.
Hosting (LISW27) is the Port of London Authority (PLA), which recently celebrated its annual port reception on board the Silver Sturgeon with guests cruising along the River Thames, passing venues to be used during the event in September. The excursion vessel also entered the Pool of London, where a tanker naming ceremony took place.
The annual networking highlight brought together top-level people from across the maritime community, giving them an opportunity to hear about the valuable work that the PLA is doing, celebrating the strength, ambition, and diversity of the Thames waterway and the wider maritime community.
PLA Chair Jonson Cox CBE explained that with nearly 57 million tonnes of cargo handled by its customers in 2025, the port recorded its highest annual volume since 1973. London has also become the UK's biggest container port with terminals downriver on the Thames estuary, and Afloat adds a trading route to Dublin Port.
Alongside the Trading Thames ambitions within the Thames Vision, significant progress is also being made through Natural Thames and Destination Thames. This includes doubling financial support for the Active Thames Fund, introducing multi-year funding to strengthen long-term community impact, and launching a new Environment Fund that increases support for expert and community-led environmental projects along the tidal Thames by 250%.
Jonson Cox added that LISW27 and the PLA’s involvement as a sponsor underlines the important role that the event continues to play in showcasing London and the UK’s world-leading maritime sector.
