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