Inspection of mooring lines

The integrity of a vessel’s mooring system is essential for the safety of a vessel when tied up. If the ropes or wires are not maintained and inspected correctly, they may fail under tension, possibly causing a catastrophic accident to the vessel or personnel in the vicinity.

Seafarers handling mooring lines need to be aware of the factors that can lead to their failure. This includes being able to recognize elongation, damage caused by chemical or UV attack, friction causing fibers to melt and physical damage to ropes making up the mooring line. Armed with this knowledge, they are more likely to avoid using a line in poor condition and report it to the vessel management instead.

Learning objectives:

• Define the terms associated with the strength of mooring lines
• Identify how mooring lines should be cared for
• State the required action on finding a defect
• Identify the checks required before using a mooring line