202454 Mooring lines self-releases

A tanker had docked at port and a pre-loading meeting was being held.

About 40 minutes after mooring was completed, an officer on a safety round discovered that one of the aft mooring lines had un-spooled from its drum and had been lost overboard. He informed the personnel at the meeting and crew were mobilised to recover the line with the help of a mooring boat and a tug.

The line was recovered and re-installed. The investigation revealed that the drum control level had been left slightly in the release direction. The drum had then slowly un-spooled by itself after crew had left the aft mooring station. Normally, the spring loaded control lever of the mooring winch would catch at the detent notch that ensures a neutral position. In this case, the lever had not been placed in the neutral position.

Lessons learned

• Check and re-check the mooring station and machinery before leaving.

• Safety rounds are a good practice and should be encouraged by senior shipboard leaders.