200333 Fatal Mooring Accident

Fatal Mooring Accident
Report No. 200333

A Chief Engineer sustained fatal injuries due to ship's polypropylene mooring rope slipping off the bitts whilst under tension. Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, he succumbed to the injuries after about two weeks in the hospital.

The Deck Cadet was passing a mooring rope to the tug from the aft winch drum after taking it around a set of bitts and out through the aft centre fairlead. This route meant that the rope led out from the bitts at an acute angle. The Third officer, an AB and the Chief Engineer were also present. When sufficient rope was passed out, the tug was asked to stop pulling so that the rope could be made fast on the bitts. However, the tug kept pulling on the rope which resulted in the rope getting jammed on the winch drum and slipping off the bitts under tension. The rope hit the Chief Engineer who was checking the mooring winch operation.

With particular reference to this incident, we would like to remind you of the following guidelines from the 'Code of Safe Working Practices for Merchant Seamen' regarding mooring operations.

· 12.7.12
Mooring and unmooring operations provide the circumstances for potentially serious accidents. Personnel should never stand in the bight of a rope under tension, and should treat ropes on drums and bollards with utmost care.

· 25.3.6
Ropes and wires, which are stowed on reels should not be used directly from stowage, but should be run off and flaked out on deck in a clear and safe manner, ensuring sufficient slack to cover all contingencies. If there is a doubt of the amount required, then the complete reel should be run off.*

· 25.3.7
Careful thought should be given to the layout of moorings, so that leads are those most suitable without creating sharp angles and ropes and wires are not fed through the same leads or bollards. Pre-planning of such operation is recommended.

· 25.3.8
Personnel should not in any circumstance stand in a bight of rope or wire. Operation of winches should preferably be undertaken by competent personnel to ensure that excessive loads do not arise on moorings.

· 25.3.9
When moorings are under strain, all personnel in the vicinity should remain in position of safety, i.e. avoiding all 'snap back' zones. Immediate action should be taken to reduce the load should any part of the system appear to be under strain. Care is needed so that ropes or wires will not jam when they come under strain, so that, if necessary, they can quickly be slackened off.

* This is vital considering that the tug may not heed calls from the ship or the mooring winch could malfunction. When passing a ship's rope to tugs, the rope should be previously placed on the bitts with a single figure of eight turn. This can be done quickly and can also be used for slackening out rope to the tug as required.