A fast-moving, heavy mooring rope presents a clear hazard. A recent Mars Report describes an incident in which a crew member was injured after a mooring line paid out to fast.
The Mars Reports are compiled (anonymously) by The Nautical Institute. A summary of what happened:
A tanker was berthing at a terminal. At the aft mooring station, a crew member saw that the slack mooring rope was not feeding out the fairlead and he tried to expedite the feed to the mooring tug. While he was handling the rope slacks on deck, the rope started to pay out and then accelerated outboard through the fairlead.
The officer in charge (OIC) of the aft mooring station did not notice the developing hazard of the fast moving mooring line as his attention was on the attending mooring tug.
The rope caught the crew member’s arm as it slid out, causing a fracture to his left forearm. First aid was provided and the crew member was sent for shore examination, where it was recommended that he be repatriated.
Advice from The Nautical Institute
- Crew should be advised not to take any actions while handling mooring lines unless the OIC has been advised and the action has been approved.
- OICs of mooring operations need to closely monitor crew members to ensure they do not become complacent or otherwise inadvertently undertake a dangerous act, putting themselves and others in a dangerous situation.
- If a mooring line is too heavy to control, take one or two turns around a warping drum and then pay it out using an extra crewman to ease off turns around the drum.
Mars Reports
This accident was covered in the Mars Reports, originally published as Mars 201975, that are part of Report Number 325. A selection of this Report has also been published in SWZ|Maritime’s December issue. The Nautical Institute compiles these reports (anonymously) to help prevent maritime accidents. That is why they are also published on SWZ|Maritime’s website.
More reports are needed to keep the scheme interesting and informative. All reports are read only by the Mars coordinator and are treated in the strictest confidence. To submit a report, please use the Mars report form.
