Ships and vessels perform different marine operations. Among these, berthing is an important activity that is done to park the ship or vessel on a dock or pier. Sometimes, a ship is berthed using mooring anchors. However, many people don’t know how to berth ships using mooring anchors.
Interestingly, many people seem to be confused even about what a mooring anchor is. Note that mooring anchors are the same object used to stop ships in the middle of the sea. It is dropped on the seabed using chains that hold the ship steady. This anchor helps ensure the ship’s berthing is safe. In this article, I will discuss the berthing process assisted by the mooring anchor. Let’s get started.
Quick Overview of Berthing
This article primarily focuses on how to berth a ship using a mooring anchor. However, before discussing the step-by-step process, let’s first understand what berthing actually is.
A berth is simply the place on the dock where a ship stays or is moored. The process of bringing a ship to the berth and then securing it with bollards is called berthing. This process involves careful maneuvering of the ships using tugboats. Once the ship is aligned to the berth, it is then carefully secured using the mooring lines.
The docking platform receives many ships and vessels every day. These vessels berth so they can load or unload cargo or remain on the dock for some time. On docks or ports, there is a dedicated space for ships and vessels to stay. These spaces can vary in size to accommodate ships of different sizes. For example, berths for large cargo vessels are generally big and vice versa. In berthing, the ship or vessel comes close to the docking platform.
After that, it is positioned so that it comes onto the berth allotted to it correctly. This maneuvering is handled by tugboats towing the ship. This small tugboat carefully brings the ship to its place. In some docks, tides can be unpredictable, causing ships to drift and creating instability. In such cases, ships and vessels generally use anchors.
You might have heard that anchors are generally dropped offshore when ships need to stay temporarily. However, dropping anchor during berthing helps control the ship’s speed. It also helps resist the tides, preventing ships from drifting away. Is dropping an anchor mandatory during berthing? The answer is no. Generally, berthing uses mooring anchors only when the tides are harsh or the waves are too aggressive.
Step-by-Step: How Ships Berth Using Mooring Anchors?
Berthing a ship using a mooring anchor is not very complex. This berthing type includes an additional step: dropping anchor when the ship approaches the dock. Let’s talk about this berthing procedure step by step.
1- Captain Checklist (Wind, Waves, Tides)
Firstly, the ship’s captain has a heavy responsibility. The reason is that he is the first person who checks the wind speed and direction. Additionally, he has to consider the intensity of the waves and tides. These parameters form an essential checklist that every captain goes through.
Knowing these factors helps decide the speed with which a ship will approach the dock. If the wind is too high, the captain generally approaches with a specific angle. Ignoring wind speed and tides can cause the ship to drift away from its intended position. If the weather is too extreme, the captain can drop anchor at sea and wait for it to improve before berthing.
2- Reduce Speed As Much As Possible
As you know, ships and vessels do not have brakes to slow down. Therefore, the captain starts to reduce the speed from a distance. Ideally, the speed of the ship should be lower than 3 knots when approaching the dock. Most of the time, captains generally switch off the engines to ensure speed is reduced quickly. If speed is too high, the ship typically does not dock. In such cases, they remain in water for a long time, reducing their speed.
3- Approach of Ship or Vessel Towards the Berth
Once the ship is slowed down, the next step is to approach the berth. This is the most critical step, as small mistakes can cause ships to drift away. Therefore, a pilot, also known as a harbor pilot, generally comes onto the ship.
This pilot is local, meaning he knows the berth area, space, and water depth very well. Additionally, a tugboat is used to tow the ship, controlling its speed and direction. The pilot goes into the control room and guides the captain. This ensures the captain maneuvers the ship correctly as the ship approaches the berth.
The tugboat further makes the approach correct by moving the ship in the right direction. Remember, the ship or vessel never approaches the berth directly. Instead, they typically berth at a specific angle. The right berthing angle ensures that the ship reaches the target spot very precisely without affecting nearby ships.
4- Dropping & Positioning of Mooring Anchor
Generally, berthing is done without dropping anchor. However, the weather or tides may not be favorable at times. That’s where the captain decides to drop the anchor. This helps gain more control over the ship’s speed and prevent drifting. When the ship is near the dock, the anchor is dropped.
Commonly, the chain of the dropped anchor is of a size that is 4 to 6 times the water depth. For example, if the water depth is 2 meters, the anchor chain must be 8 to 12 meters long. This ensures that anchors provide a strong holding force. The longer chain allows the anchor to drag, generating friction that helps slow the ship. This is very useful because a ship with its anchor dropped has better stability, which is key for berthing.
5- Aligning the Vessel Parallel to the Berth
This is another important step, as the ship must be in the right position. In fact, the tugboats ensure that the ship is parallel to the berth. This is only possible when the ship is being maneuvered at the right berthing angle. If wind or tides are not taken into account, achieving parallel position can be very difficult.
This alignment is very crucial before the швартовные канаты or lines are sent to the dock. When the ship is positioned correctly, one side of the ship is brought alongside the dock. It is worth noting that the docking platform has морские крылья. These fenders protect the platform by absorbing the force of impact if ships collide with it.
6- Securing the Ship Using Mooring Lines
Once the ship is at the dock, the last step is to secure it. As I said earlier, the mooring lines are sent from the ship to the dock. The crew members are responsible for transferring the mooring lines. Each dock has bollards, which are the posts where mooring lines are tied. Different types of mooring lines are tied to these bollards. These types include:
- Head lines
- Stern lines
- Breast lines
- Spring lines
The headlines are tied to bollards to ensure the ship’s bow remains stationary. Similarly, the stern lines ensure the ship’s stern remains stable and stationary. Breast and spring lines are useful for preventing sideways and forward/backward movement. Once all these mooring lines are tied to bollards, the ship becomes stable and secure at the berth. You can now load, unload, or offload the passengers. During loading, the ship won’t move or drift due to strong securing.
Why Use Mooring Anchors During Berthing?
Mooring anchors are widely used in berthing procedures. The reason is that a mooring anchor is a heavy, strong metal object that is dropped into the sea. It sits on the seabed and prevents unnecessary drifting of the ship or large vessels. During berthing, the anchor is dropped to get two primary benefits, which are as follows:
- Control the speed of the ship
- Improve the stability of the ship and reduce unnecessary drifts
Smaller ships are easier to handle during berthing. Since their weight is not too high, their speed is easier to control. However, large cargo vessels are much harder to handle. Therefore, dropping anchor becomes essential to reduce the vessel’s speed. The anchor drops to the seabed, drags, and bites the seabed to slow the ship.
When the vessel is parked, tides or waves can make it drift. This becomes even more problematic in the case of large vessels. In such cases, dropped anchors keep the vessel stationary and prevent its drifting. Imagine a ship parked in a busy harbor, where many other ships are also present. If the ship drifts, it would hit or collide with a nearby ship, resulting in a tragic accident, right?
Therefore, anchors prevent unnecessary drift, which could cause accidents. Are mooring anchors used every time during berthing? No. You normally don’t need a mooring anchor if the weather is favorable and the tides are not harsh. The ship can reduce speed and position itself correctly in the dock. Using or dropping the mooring anchor is done only when the weather is too bad, or the vessel is too large or heavy-duty.
Часто задаваемые вопросы
What is a mooring anchor?
A mooring anchor is an object generally made of strong metal. It is dropped in the sea, and it goes to the seabed to provide a holding force for the ship. This anchor is dropped using anchor chains, which prevent the ship from drifting and control its speed.
How heavy should a mooring anchor be?
There is no fixed answer when it comes to weight. Smaller boats require smaller, lighter anchors; vice versa. For small boats, an anchor of around 100 kg is enough. For large vessels of 20 to 40 meters, the anchor should be about 1 to 2 tons heavier. You will need an anchor weighing over 20 tons if the ship is very large (over 100 meters).
Заключение
In summary, ships or vessels can undergo berthing using mooring anchors. In fact, using anchors during berthing improves the safety of the ships and vessels. Ports or docks where the weather is often harsh generally recommend using a mooring anchor. In this article, I explained how you can berth the ship by dropping the mooring anchors. However, it is worth noting that mooring anchors are not always used. It is possible to berth even large ships perfectly if the weather and tides are not aggressive.