A Thames family business with a heritage in river cruises is paving the way for sustainable tourism with the launch of the UK’s first electric sightseeing boat, launching in summer 2025 as part of The Tower of London River Tour.
Woods’ Silver Fleet has announced its inaugural zero-emission tourist boat, now under construction at the Pendennis shipyard in Cornwall. With over a century in Thames river operations, the Woods family, renowned for hosting clients such as Google, Net-A-Porter, and Lamborghini, is expanding into eco-friendly tourism.
The vessel, a first in the UK, employs cutting-edge aluminium technology and a completely battery-driven power system. After extensive trials by Vulkan Marine, the fleet selected an EST Floattech Octopus Series battery setup, charged by a two-megawatt shore facility using renewable energy.
Through the Tower of London River Tour, Woods Tours is creating an all-electric luxury fleet combining heritage and sustainability. “This new vessel represents the bridge between the past and the future of river tourism, building on the generations of experience the Woods family have operating on the river whilst striving to lead the industry’s push towards sustainability,” says Chris Kangis, CEO of Woods Tours. “We are delighted to partner with Historic Royal Palaces for the Tower of London River Tour. The Tower of London is one of the most significant London landmarks on the river and the perfect match for the tour.”
Historic Royal Palaces, steward of the Tower of London, will partner with the 39-metre flagship Thames Explorer, making it the official Tower of London River Tour. Built by Pendennis, this vessel can host 250 passengers per tour, totalling up to 500,000 annually.
Toby Allies, Managing Director at Pendennis, shared, “The start of the Thames Explorer project has been an exciting period for the yard and all the team involved. The aluminium construction specified on the project is all in-house providing a perfect backdrop for some of our more experienced team members to transfer their skills and knowledge to a whole new generation of fabricators.”
He added, “The client’s requirement for the vessel is also for it to be fully battery-powered advancing our own in-house capabilities in this area that in turn will transfer to other market sectors that we operate in.”
The 40-minute tour, launching from Tower Bridge Quay, will pass renowned London sites like the Palace of Westminster, Tate Modern, and Tower Bridge, offering an engaging historical perspective.
British actress Martha Howe-Douglas will lend her voice to the experience, blending facts and British humour in a live narrative developed with historians.
Governor of the Tower of London Andrew Jackson, CBE, commented, “We are delighted to be partnering with Woods Tours on the first official Tower of London river tour. For centuries, some of the most famous Kings and Queens in our nation’s history approached the Tower by boat. Now, even more visitors will be able to experience a unique view of the Tower from the Thames, discovering more about the history of this remarkable place throughout their journey. We look forward to sharing the story with them!”
The vessel combines traditional style with modern sustainability, featuring 1920s-inspired design, awning-shaded decks, eco-leather seating, and locally made carpets.
There will also be 21st century full accessibility, solar gain reducing glazing, sound system and LED lighting. All hand built by Pendennis’ experienced team, supporting maritime apprenticeship in Falmouth, with both traditional and new technology. Due to its innovative design, the project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 4 (CMDC4), funded by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Innovate UK. CMDC4 is part of the Department’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, a £206m initiative focused on developing the technology necessary to decarbonise the UK domestic maritime sector.
Ticket sales begin in winter 2024, with tours starting summer 2025.
