UK P&I Club published lessons learned from a crew mooring injury, which happened as a bulk carrier was discharging cargo alongside a mineral terminal. Namely, one of the ropes snapped, violently striking the second officer, which sustained broken ribs and serious internal injuries.
The incident
A bulk carrier was discharging cargo alongside a mineral terminal. In order to re-position the vessel, the terminal asked the ships’s master to shift ship approximately 100 metres astern.
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At the required time, the crew were ordered to their mooring stations and the main engine placed on stand-by ready for use. The plan was to move the vessel astern using only the mooring lines, which were to be transferred from bollard to bollard by the shore linesmen, with an ebb tide running from ahead.
While the shifting operation was taking place, the master became concerned that the ship was developing excessive sternway and ordered the forward and aft mooring parties to check the movement using the forward headlines and the aft back spring rope.
On the poop deck, an AB tightened up the back spring winch brake and as the strain came on the rope, it parted without warning, with one end of the rope snapping back and violently striking the second officer.
The injured crewmember suffered broken ribs and serious internal injuries.
Probable cause
This accident occurred due to loss of control during the shifting manoeuvre. The impact of a strong ebb tide on the ships was not considered adequately and there was a failure to make use of the main engine until after control had been lost.
It was concluded that the rope parted because of local abrasion damage at the point of failure, along with the AB over-tightening the winch brake. This prevented the brake from rendering below the breaking load of the rope.
A synthetic fibre rope will stretch under tension and if it parts when under load, the sudden release of stored energy will cause it to snap-back with great velocity, risking death or injury to anyone who gets in its way
UK P&I Club highlighted.
Lessons Learned
According to the Club, the following lessons are to be learned from the incident:
- All mooring operations should be properly risk assessed and planned to ensure all involved crew are aware of how the operation is to be conducted as well as to the potential hazards and safety precautions;
- Mooring machinery and ropes should be maintained and frequently checked in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions;
- Over-tightening winch brakes may lead to the mooring rope breaking load being exceeded;
- Be aware that the whole mooring deck is a potential snap-back zone during operations and always keep clear of mooring ropes when under tension.