202140 Mooring incident with injuries

A vessel was coming alongside to moor assisted by two tugs. The
first lines were passed ashore to assist in bringing the vessel into
position along the pier. At one point, the aft spring line got stuck
between the ship and a pier dolphin’s fender. The Master requested
the pilot use the aft tug to slowly clear the line. The Master informed
the aft mooring station officer that the tug would pull out a bit in
order to clear the line.

An officer was standing near the break of the accommodation and
was checking the lead of the spring line. When the mooring rope stuck,
it was under some tension which was not noticeable from deck level. As
soon as the rope came clear of the dolphin fender, it released up along
the ship’s side with energy, striking the officer under his jaw and on his
right forearm.

An ambulance was immediately called while first aid was provided
to the victim. Once at the hospital, the victim underwent X-ray and CT
scans. He was diagnosed with a laceration on the chin and a concussion.
He was able to return to normal work a few days later.

Lessons learned

• lMooring ropes can contain enough energy to kill or badly injure. Treat them as you would a loaded weapon.
• Editor’s note: The victim was very lucky to have sustained only
  relatively minor injuries. As readers of MARS may have seen in report
  201870, a very similar sequence of events ended with a fatality.