In late August the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, gave the go ahead for a new cruise terminal to be built on the river Thames. Despite pollution concerns among local residents, the new terminal will be built at Enderby Wharf near Greenwich and Tower Hamlets and is likely to handle 55 cruise calls each year, bringing thousands of visitors into the capital.

London currently has 3 cruise ship facilities at London Tilbury, Greenwich, and Tower Bridge but the city hosts very few cruise ship visits compared to other capital cities around the world. all ships using the Enderby Wharf terminal must comply with international, national and local emissions legislation, which requires vessels to burn less than 0.1 per cent sulphur emissions.

EU regulations mean all cruise ships must not burn heavy fuel oil when they reach regulated waters, which requires them to burn low sulphur fuels on their approach to London and while in port, resulting in a 97 per cent reduction in emissions. The new terminal at Enderby Wharf is expected to be up and running by 2017.