Safety warning about multiple cruise ship anchor failures
We have issued a safety bulletin to the cruise industry to highlight the importance of using anchoring equipment within its intended design parameters.
Safety Bulletin 1/2021
Summary
The COVID-19 enforced operational pause saw many cruise vessels anchored off the UK’s south coast. During this period there were several anchor losses associated with the inclement weather over the autumn and winter and the use of the anchoring equipment beyond its intended design parameters. The MAIB have identified a trend in the nature of anchoring equipment failures and have released this safety bulletin to the cruise industry to mitigate against further losses both in the short term and when the vessels return to normal operations.
Safety Issues
-
ship’s masters should be proactive in heading to sea and not wait for the anchor to drag in strong winds before acting
-
the choice of anchor and amount of cable chosen should be varied to avoid single point loading
-
ship’s masters should ensure they and their crew are aware of the reporting procedures to the coastal state in the event of losing an anchor
-
the anchoring equipment should be assessed before returning back into normal service due to the greater use of the anchors during this extraordinary period
Recommendations
No safety recommendations have been issued with this safety bulletin.