As a result of the Marchioness disaster in 1989, when 51 people died, the Government asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Port of London Authority, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to work together to set up a dedicated Search and Rescue service for the tidal River Thames. Since 2002, four lifeboat stations have been established on the Thames, at: Teddington, Chiswick, Tower Pier, and Gravesend.