Dutch navy captures Tower Bridge opening in stunning night scenes as ship arrives in London

Stunning views of London at night including the moment Tower Bridge opened its road section have been captured by the crew of a survey ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy as the vessel arrived in the capital.

The hydrographic survey vessel HNLMS Luymes is making a short visit to the city, where she is now berthed alongside HMS Belfast, but her crew managed to capture the lights and sights of London as she sailed in up the River Thames in the darkness, passing under Tower Bridge which opened its road, or bascules, along her journey.

Dutch military attaché Gerrit Nijenhuis posted a tweet welcoming the ship to the city, along with the footage, saying: "Great to welcome Netherlands Navy Hydrographer HNLMS Luymes to London! What a fantastic arrival, filmed by her crew!"

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HNLMS Luymes (A803) is used for mapping the seabed, along with her sister ship HNLMS Snellius, to give the Dutch navy accurate and up-to-date data on where the fleet is safe to sail.