Mooring Safety – Small Vessels Stats and Facts

FACTS

  1. Mooring accidents are a significant cause of injuries and fatalities in the boating industry.
  2. Small vessels include various types, such as sailboats, powerboats, personal watercraft, and fishing boats.
  3. Mooring safety involves securing a vessel to a fixed point, such as a dock, pier, or mooring buoy, to prevent drifting, collisions, and damage.
  4. Common mooring equipment used in small vessels includes ropes, lines, cleats, bollards, fenders, and anchors.
  5. Improper mooring practices can lead to damage to marine habitats, pollution, and disturbance to sensitive ecosystems.
  6. High winds, strong currents, and rough seas can pose challenges and increase the risks associated with mooring operations.
  7. Proper training and education in mooring safety are vital for vessel operators and crew members.
  8. Regular inspection and maintenance of mooring equipment are essential to ensure its integrity and reliability.
  9. Compliance with local regulations and adherence to industry standards are important for mooring safety.
  10. Continuous vigilance, situational awareness, and effective communication among the crew members during mooring operations are critical to prevent accidents and maintain safety.

STATS

  • By the type of works when the accidents occurred, the number of accidents during mooring and anchoring was 31 (32.6%), stevedoring 23 (24.2%), working inside tanks and holds 13 (13.7%) and engine rooms 5 (5.3%), showing that work categories of mooring, anchoring, stevedoring, and working inside tanks.
  • Throughout the years many such mooring line incidents have occurred, leaving individuals with serious injuries, from these accidents 14% have led to fatalities.
  • Ropes and wires cause 95% of personal injury incidents, and 60% of these injuries happen during mooring operations.
  • When a mooring rope holding a docked vessel snap, the abrupt energy release can cause the rope to whip across the dock and ship at a speed of almost 800km/h. Snap back accounts for an astonishing 53% of mooring accidents, with 1 in 7 of them resulting in fatalities.