Capable of being expanded to six runways operating around the clock, the new airport would be connected to the high speed Channel Tunnel rail link which could whisk passengers the 47 miles into central London in just over half an hour. Connections to the Continent in the other direction would also be easy and could eliminate the need for many short haul flights.

Final approach and initial take off from the site would be entirely over water, promising minimal noise disturbance for local communities. Controversial proposals for a £13bn third runway at Heathrow currently being considered by the British Government would involve demolishing an entire nearby community and carry a 'high risk' of breaching noise and air quality targets set by the European Union according to internal Department for Transport documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Mayor Johnson cites Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport, built on a levelled island and reclaimed land in the harbour, as an influence on his thinking. Chek Lap Kok was arguably the most significant project in the annals of dredging as it transformed project planners' appreciation of the industry's capabilities and led directly to the massive fleet expansions and land reclamation projects currently underway in places such as Dubai. There is no doubt that Boris Island would be an equally massive dredging and marine construction project in the Thames Estuary.

Read the full story in the October issue of Maritime Journal.