Unsafe mooring practices safety alert

During a routine marine inspection of two sister vessels it was observed that rope lines had been attached to the mooring winch control levers to facilitate ‘remote’ operation of the winches.

There are numerous dangers associated with this practice including:
• Accidentally pulling on the wrong line and performing an unintended action
• Crew member getting entangled in the lines and inadvertently operating the winch
• Lack of proper control of winches

Mooring and unmooring a vessel is inherently a potentially dangerous operation and requires crews to be in full control of all associated equipment.

Corrective actions taken and recommendations
The dangers associated with this practice were immediately highlighted to the vessels crews and the lines removed.
The vessel owner is investigating the reasons for this modification and will act accordingly.
Don’t compromise and complicate the operation by introducing additional risks

Click to view the photographic evidence and safety alert: msf-safety-alert-17.05