Safe Mooring Practice

Introduction PersonPersonaaaall Protective Equipment Tugs’ lines used for towing the vessel must be placed with the eye over the post of a mooring The Club continues to encounter claims arising All personnel engaged in mooring and towing bitt, and vessels’ lines used for towing should from incidents that take place during routine operations should wear the correct personal be laid up on . The bitts used must have a mooring and associated towage operations. In protective equipment. This should be detailed in safe working load in excess of the expected most cases these claims could have been the vessel’s Safety Management System and dynamic loads in the towline. The safe working avoided by adherence to best mooring practice, will include high visibility coveralls, a hardhat load of the bitts should be prominently marked. correct use of PPE and compliance with the with chin strap, safety shoes or safety boots, requirements of the vessel’s Safety gloves and in colder weather suitable high Whilst engaged in towing operations, crew Management System. visibility warm clothing. Personnel on the should keep well clear of the tow line as it may should have safety goggles to hand come under tension suddenly and Equipment Maintenance in case the has to be let go in an crewmembers must ensure they remain in a emergency. The use of gloves for mooring position of safety clear of the area where the Mooring winches, capstans, windlasses, operations is an often debated topic, the best line would snap back in the event of it parting mooring lines and mooring fixtures and fittings advice being that gloves should ideally not be whilst under tension. Lines will generally snap must be properly maintained and periodic too loose fitting so that they do not get trapped back in an area based along the line in which it maintenance undertaken as prescribed in the within on drum ends. Gloves should was leading. If led around a bollard or pedestal planned maintenance system. always be used when handling wire ropes due the line may snap back and whip around the to the possibility of hand injury arising from bollard or in a much wider arc. Routine maintenance should include regular broken wires. visual inspections of all equipment, greasing of Tugs’ lines should only be let go when the grease nipples on moving machinery and of Tug Operations order to do so is received from the bridge. Once rollers on and pedestal fairleads. Open the tow line eye has been removed from the gearing and clutches should also be suitably Personnel standing by forward and will be bitts the tug should be signalled that recovery greased with an appropriate dressing. Brakes advised by the bridge when tugs are to be of the line can commence. The tug’s line should should be closely examined to ensure all utilised, they will be informed when and where be lowered under control with the messenger linkages are working correctly, brake band tugs are to be made fast and whether a tug’s tended carefully whilst the tug heaves in his line. material thickness is adequate and the line or ship’s line is to be used. In most The person tending the messenger must ensure condition of the brake lining is satisfactory. instances a tug’s line will be used, but if a they are standing clear of the loose messenger Clutches should operate smoothly and pins for vessel’s mooring line is to be utilised it has to be line flaked on the . Once the tug has securing the clutches should be attached to the confirmed that this has a minimum breaking recovered his towing line on deck, the clutch control levers ready for use. Winch load (MBL) that is at least twice the bollard pull messenger should be tended so far as possible control levers must be marked with the of the tug, to allow for any possible dynamic whilst the tug crew are recovering it on deck. direction of operation for both paying out and snatch loadings that may be imparted during Towing lines and messengers should not be let heaving in. Drum ends should be kept free from the towage operation. Vessels’ lines used for go and dropped into the water as this can lead damage, rust and paint, and machinery bed towage must be in good condition with sound to problems as one of the following case plates should be periodically inspected for splices and without short splices within their shows. deterioration or damage. length.

It must be ensured that mooring fairleads are all When heaving lines are used to pick up the turning freely and that their surfaces are free of tug’s messenger line or to run lines to the berth rust or damage that could abrade the mooring these should be made up with a Monkey’s Fist lines. The integrity of all mooring equipment that does not contain any additional material or such as bitts, pad eyes and leads should be weight. This is to reduce the risk of injury in the closely examined. event of it striking personnel on the tug or ashore. Personnel on the tug must be directed Information on mooring line care and to stand clear whilst the heaving line is being maintenance can be found in Risk Alert 07. thrown to the tug’s deck.

Prior to mooring operations commencing, all Once the towing line is made fast the tug must equipment should be visually examined for any be informed that the line is fast and that weight visible defects and machinery tested. Any can be applied. All crew must be standing clear defective equipment must be taken out of in a position of safety as tension may come on service. the towing line suddenly with little warning.

RA 08 - December 2009 – One of a series of Steamship Mutual Loss Prevention Bulletins produced by the Ship Safety Trust Page 1 of 3 For further information please contact the Loss Prevention Department, Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd., Tel: +44 20 7247 5490; Email: [email protected] Web: www.simsl.com/loss-prevention-and-safety-training.html

Case History A crew member standing by aft on a bulk carrier had his foot severed by the 20mm messenger line attached to the tug line whilst releasing the tow. The tug had been instructed by the pilot that the line had been released and then heaved in the towline, a crewman on the tug then went to pull the messenger line in manually but it became tight. The injured crewman on the bulk carrier had been slacking the messenger line that was turned around a mooring bitt post on deck. It would appear that he was standing in the bight of the messenger line. As the towline and messenger line were being recovered on the tug her engines were idling, however the bulk carrier went from slow to half ahead placing strain on the messenger line which trapped and severed the crew member’s foot. In addition no hand signals were received by the tug from the vessel’s when recovering the towline. The only instruction that the towline could be recovered came from the pilot. Case History A tug was involved in unmooring a vessel and was made fast to her starboard using a attendance. Radio communications should be the winch; the control lever should never be line from the tug’s . After pulling the checked with the bridge prior to operations tied off and left. vessel clear of the berth and then astern into commencing and all communications should the river and turning her, the tug’s line was let identify the vessel to ensure that there is no It must be ensured that the tension at which a go. The ship’s crew were supposed to lower the confusion with other vessels operating on the winch or its brake will render is below the tug’s line under control, but this was not done same radio channel. minimum breaking load (MBL) of the line on and the line was released while the three crew the drum. Typically the brake should render at on the tug’s after deck were retrieving the line One of the principal hazards associated with 60% of the MBL of the line on the drum. It by hand. As the ship went ahead the Master on mooring operations is that lines can and do part, must be ensured that ropes are wound on to the tug’s bridge went astern to keep up with and with synthetic fibre ropes there may be drums such that the is pulling against the the ship, thinking the line was still being little or no audible indication prior to this fixed end of the brake band arrangement. On lowered and unaware the line was actually all in occurring. Due to the inherent elasticity in drums fitted with disc brakes the rope can be the water. With about 5 metres of the towline, synthetic lines when they part they may travel wound onto the drum in either direction. along with a messenger and heaving line still some considerable distance as they snap back. outboard and in the water, the towline became Wires may give some audible warning that they Lines should be led, so far as possible, without caught in the tug’s starboard propeller. As this are about to fail as individual wires and strands sharp changes of direction. Wires and synthetic happened, one of the deckhands laid up the part, but due to the lack of elasticity will not fibre ropes need to be kept separate and not towline on a on deck to stop it all being travel as far as a synthetic fibre rope once allowed to cross or be led through the same taken around the propeller. The line parted. However they can still impart fatal or lead. All lines should, so far as possible be led subsequently went tight and struck one of the significant injury. Personnel must therefore to the bollard on shore such as to keep the crew, it briefly went slack and then tight again always ensure that they stand in a position of angle between the rope and the horizontal to a and struck the same crewman once more. He safety away from where a line may snap back if minimum. Breast lines should be run, so far as sustained serious knee and chest injuries. it parts whilst under tension. If a line comes practicable, from as far forward and aft and at under excessive strain appropriate action should right angles to the fore and aft line of the vessel. Mooring Operations be taken to safely reduce the tension so far as Spring lines should be run, so far as practicable, this is possible. parallel to the fore and aft line of the vessel. General Personnel should not stand in the bight of a Where synthetic fibre ropes and wires are Mooring stations should be kept clear of debris, rope at any time, and all crew should look out available, the same type and size of lines should any hydraulic oil leakages should be rectified for each other and alert their colleagues if they be used for the same service. For example all and cleaned up, and decks so far as possible see that they may be standing in an unsafe springs may be made of wire and all lines painted with a non-slip treatment. At night position. made of synthetic fibre. The mixing of synthetic mooring stations should be adequately lit to and wire ropes in the same service is not enable operations to proceed safely. Winch drums or drum ends should never be left recommended. turning with the winch control lever It must be ensured that sufficient personnel are unattended. An experienced person should Many vessels use both wires and synthetic lines standing by to assist in the mooring operation always be standing by at the controls to drive to make the vessel fast alongside, and many both forward and aft, with an officer in wires are fitted with rope tails to give the

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astern is limited, as there have been instances of vessels creeping along berths due to the prevailing environmental conditions.

As can be seen in the following case studies, the poor condition of mooring ropes coupled with personnel standing in snap back zones can sometimes prove fatal when ropes part. Case History While a 15,000 GT container vessel was engaged in mooring activities one of her mooring line some elasticity. However, due to turns may be necessary. The rope should not be mooring lines parted and the snap back of the the limited elasticity present in a wire or wire surged on the drum end to prevent the rope line was so powerful that it struck two shore and rope tail mooring line when compared to melting and fusing on the drum end. Once linesmen, one of whom was killed and the the elasticity of a synthetic line, it is adequate tension has been achieved, the rope other seriously injured. recommended that wires are not run as the first should be stoppered and laid up on the lines when coming alongside to heave the mooring bitts. vessel into position. Case History With fibre ropes the stopper used should ideally Mooring be of the same material as the rope being During unmooring operations on a 6,000 GT stoppered, with synthetic stoppers for synthetic inter island RORO ferry a member of the ship’s crew was seriously injured when a mooring line The bridge will advise which side the vessel is to lines and natural fibre stoppers for natural fibre parted and the snap of the line struck him so as berth alongside, the number of headlines/stern lines. The MBL of the stopper should be around to cause serious head, arm and leg injuries lines, breast lines and springs that are to be 50% of the MBL of the line being stoppered. deployed, and which line will be the first line to Polymide (nylon) stoppers should not however be sent ashore, both forward and aft, and how be used on polymide lines due to the low Unmooring this is to be sent ashore, be it by line boat or coefficient of friction of the material. Wire heaving line. ropes should be stoppered with a chain stopper When letting go, lines should be released and with a widely spaced cow hitch being used and heaved onboard in accordance with instructions Anchor lashings need to be cleared away along the tail of the chain wrapped around the wire received from the bridge. with hawse and spurling pipe covers, and the against the lay. A clove hitch must not be used made ready for letting go. When it is as this may damage the wire. When laying up Once the order is given to let go the remaining not possible to let go the anchor ‘from the the line onto the mooring bitts, the first one or lines these should be promptly slacked and then pipe’ the anchor must be walked back clear of two turns should be taken directly around the heaved in once let go by the linesmen. Once the hawse pipe and put on the brake and the first post of the bitts or around the outside of they have been let go from the shore bollards windlass taken out of gear so that is ready for both posts before the rope is laid up in figures the bridge should be advised of the fact. The use in an emergency. of eight around the bitts. Once a rope is laid up bridge must also be advised once the lines are on the bitts the stopper should be released clear of the water and it is safe to use the Sufficient lengths of mooring line for the from the rope. Ropes should never be left on propelling machinery and thrusters. intended operation should be taken from the drum ends when not being tensioned; they winch drums or loose coiled ropes and be must always be laid up on the bitts. Anchors are to be secured once the order to do flaked on deck prior to arrival ready for running so is given by the bridge, and the bridge to the berth. When running lines it is bad Split drum winches are designed so that the line informed once the anchors have been made practice to attempt to stand on a line to stop it under tension is on the first wrap on the drum fast with all lashings for the sea passage applied running away. providing maximum holding power. When and hawse and spurling pipes covered. transferring the mooring line from the storage When heaving lines are to be thrown to the side of the drum to the tensioning side, care berth the linesman ashore should be alerted to has to be taken when manoeuvring the line the fact. When heaving lines are being returned through the gap in the drum divider. Personnel those on the deck must be alerted that a should stand so that they are pulling the line For further information on this or heaving line is being thrown back to the deck. from the storage side towards the tension side other Loss Prevention topics please rather than pushing, which has the risk of the When line boats are used to run lines, care line springing back towards the crewmember contact the Loss Prevention must be taken when lowering ropes that these pushing it and possibly causing injury. Department, Steamship Insurance are lowered under control at all times and are Management Services Ltd. not let go to fall uncontrollably into the line Once the vessel is all fast alongside, the anchors boat. need to be secured by placing the guillotine bars in place across the anchor cables. When drum ends are used to tension lines, two Tel: +44 20 7247 5490 personnel should be engaged in the operation, Some vessels are fitted with winches that have Email: [email protected] one tending the line on the drum end and one a self tensioning or automatic mode. It is coiling the rope on deck as it is heaved in. recommended that these are not used in the Three turns around the drum end should suffice self tensioning mode when connected to a for heaving; however, on whelped drums more shore manifold or when space ahead and

RA 08 – December 2009 – One of a series of Steamship Mutual Loss Prevention Bulletins produced by the Ship Safety Trust Page 3 of 3 For further information please contact the Loss Prevention Department, Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd., Tel: +44 20 7247 5490; Email: [email protected] Web: www.simsl.com/loss-prevention-and-safety-training.html