Four lifeboat stations became operational on 2 January 2002, providing a round-the-clock rapid response service for the capital. They are located at Lifeboat Pier (next to Waterloo Bridge), Chiswick Pier, Gravesend and Teddington. The first three are manned continuously to provide an immediate response. Teddington, is operated using volunteers in the same way as the RNLI operates its other stations around the coasts of the UK and Republic of Ireland. The RNLI was approached by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to provide the rescue service as a result of the findings of the Thames Safety Inquiries into the collision between the pleasure cruiser, The Marchioness, and the dredger, Bowbelle, which resulted in the loss of 51 lives in 1989, leading to a demand to step up search and rescue cover on the river. The MCA co-ordinates the rescue operations from a Port of London Authority operations room at the Thames Barrier.