Real Life Incident: Self Releases of Mooring Ropes

A tanker had docked in the harbor and a preliminary loading meeting was held.

Approximately 40 minutes after the mooring was completed, an officer conducting a safety walk discovered that one of the aft mooring lines had become detached from its drum and was lost overboard. He informed the staff at the meeting and the crew was mobilized to recover the line with the help of a mooring boat and a tug.

The line was restored and reinstalled. Investigation revealed that the drum control level had been left slightly in the firing direction. The drum had then slowly unwound itself after the crew left the aft dock. Normally, the mooring winch's spring-loaded control lever would engage the detent notch that ensures a neutral position. In this case the lever was not in the neutral position.

Lessons learned

• Always check the dock and machinery before setting off.
• Safety rounds are good practice and should be encouraged by senior ship leaders.