River Bus Collision on the Thames Injures Six Passengers Near Greenwich

Six passengers were injured — two seriously — when a Thames Clippers river bus collided with a maintenance barge near Greenwich Pier during Wednesday's evening rush hour, causing panic on board and prompting a major emergency response on the River Thames. The collision occurred at approximately 5:50pm as the RB6 catamaran service from Embankment to Woolwich Arsenal struck the stationary barge, which was conducting survey work for the Thames Tideway Tunnel project in the main navigation channel.

Collision and Emergency Response

Passengers described a sudden, violent impact that threw several people from their seats. The Port of London Authority's harbour master immediately declared an emergency on the river and dispatched patrol vessels to the scene. London Fire Brigade sent its specialist fire rescue boat alongside three fire engines to Greenwich Pier, while London Ambulance Service deployed four ambulance crews and a hazardous area response team.

"There was an enormous bang and the whole boat lurched to one side," said passenger David Adeyemi, 41, a civil servant who commutes daily by river bus from North Greenwich. "People who were standing went flying. A woman near me hit her head on a metal handrail and was bleeding heavily. The crew were professional but you could see they were shaken. We were all terrified the boat was going to capsize — we were listing noticeably to port for several minutes before it stabilised."

Casualties and Hospital Treatment

Of the six injured passengers, two were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. A 56-year-old woman suffered a suspected fractured cheekbone and concussion after striking a handrail, while a 29-year-old man sustained a dislocated shoulder and deep laceration to his arm. Four other passengers were treated at the scene for cuts, bruises, and shock before being discharged.

Thames Clippers managing director Sean Collins said: "We are deeply concerned about this incident and our immediate priority is the welfare of the passengers who were injured. We are conducting a full internal investigation alongside the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and will cooperate fully with all authorities. The vessel involved has been withdrawn from service pending inspection."

Investigation Focuses on Navigation and Signalling

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed investigators to examine the circumstances of the collision. Early reports suggest the maintenance barge may not have been displaying adequate navigation lights and was positioned further into the main channel than its permit allowed. However, questions are also being raised about whether the river bus's skipper was travelling at an appropriate speed given visibility conditions, which were described as "moderate" with light drizzle at the time of the collision.

Captain Robert Haines, a retired PLA pilot, told London Accident News: "The Thames through Greenwich is one of the busiest stretches of navigable river in Europe. You have commercial shipping, pleasure craft, river buses, and now an increasing amount of construction traffic related to major infrastructure projects. The potential for conflict is enormous, and this incident should serve as a serious wake-up call about the management of navigation risks in these congested waters."

Growing Concerns Over River Safety

The incident comes amid rapid growth in river bus passenger numbers, which have increased by 62 per cent since 2019 to over 12 million journeys per year. Transport for London, which contracts the river bus service, has faced criticism for not investing sufficiently in river safety infrastructure as passenger volumes have grown. The RMT union, which represents river workers, has called for an independent review of safety standards on the Thames, including vessel speed limits, crew training requirements, and the management of construction-related river traffic. A PLA spokesperson confirmed that new navigational risk assessments would be conducted for all active construction zones on the tidal Thames.