The MAIB has witnessed numerous incidences involving sailors being hit by mooring lines over the years, some of which tragically resulted in significant damage or death.
Our Annual Report recently made note of the fact that despite widely known advice on the subject, such events still happen.
The requirement for people to work close to heavy lines under strain and inevitable interaction on mooring decks persists despite significant technological and automated advancements in the shipping sector.
Consequently, it is crucial that the safety instructions are followed.
Three essential elements for safer mooring operations are highlighted below.
Equipment
To stay safe on mooring decks, it is crucial to utilize the proper equipment and to keep it in excellent working order.
Mooring lines should be routinely inspected to make sure that normal wear and tear has not damaged the line, that synthetic lines don’t have any hard spots, and that there are no indications that the line has been contaminated with grease or oil.
To prevent adding to the lines’ stress or creating chafe points, each mooring line’s lead needs to be carefully evaluated.
Accordingly, it is crucial for the crew’s safety to thoroughly inspect equipment for anything suspicious.
Inappropriate or badly maintained equipment has already contributed to instances where lines have separated or released under tension and impacted crew members.
Prepare and brief
Any mooring deck operations require careful planning. Every new operation should examine the risk assessment and control mechanisms, and planning should take into account the anticipated mooring configuration, paying close attention to any potential snapback risks.
Mooring lines should be constantly checked on all berths, and areas where mooring deck activities take place need to be maintained clean. This is especially crucial when there is a wide variation of tide.
Effective planning also requires ensuring that all seafarers are properly informed about the mooring configurations, that they are aware of what to perform, and that they are situated on less hazardous portions of the deck.
While there should be enough staff on deck to complete the task properly, having too many crew members can unnecessarily endanger others.
Communication
Finally, crew communication is crucial since working on mooring decks has the potential to be exceedingly dangerous if workers cannot communicate clearly with one another.
Everyone involved in an operation needs to communicate clearly, but they also need to take into account the number of circuits being used.
Having separate circuits can leave certain employees in the dark, while using too many voices on the same circuit might confuse people and increase the risk of overtalking.
The mooring plan must make sure that adequate communication can be maintained between all parties involved in the mooring operation because, in the end, it can be the difference between being safe and putting people at risk.