Mooring a vessel with mooring lines is essential for keeping vessels secure and in place. Mooring line accidents are unfortunately common and cause serious injuries and even fatalities. Contact a maritime lawyer if you were hurt in a mooring accident or lost a loved one in a mooring incident.
About Mooring and Mooring Lines
The term mooring refers both to the process of securing a vessel in a fixed position and to the structure to which the vessel is secured. Ships are moored to keep them from moving, usually for loading and unloading cargo, passengers, and crew, or to keep them in place while not in operation.
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Vessels are tethered to permanent mooring structures by ropes known as mooring lines. Depending on the size of the vessel, several lines may be required at both the bow and the stern. Mooring lines are often made from synthetic fibers but may also be chains or wire.
Mooring systems and plans should be carefully designed to prevent ships from being able to move. The type of mooring used and the lines and other equipment needed depend on several factors: the type and size of the vessel, currents and tide, and weather conditions.
How Is Mooring Dangerous?
Mooring can be very dangerous. Maritime insurer International Group reported that mooring accidents caused 858 injuries and 31 deaths between 2016 and 2021. Although mooring incidents are not the most frequent type of maritime accident, they are some of the most expensive because of the damage they cause.
Mooring a vessel can be dangerous in several ways. The lines alone can potentially cause serious accidents and injuries. When pulled taut, these lines store a tremendous amount of energy and can cause significant damage when released in an uncontrolled manner. A snapped mooring line can damage ships, docks, and equipment and hurt or kill people.
Snapped lines can hurt workers in the snap-back zone. Workers can also be injured or killed if they are in the line’s bight, the inside of the coil the line makes. If the moving line wraps around the worker in the bight, they may be thrown into machinery or overboard.
Mooring lines can also be trip hazards. A worker mooring a vessel can slip, trip, and fall due to a slippery surface or if the mooring area is not clear. The winches used with mooring lines can also cause serious accidents if they are not used correctly or malfunction.
What Causes Mooring Line Accidents?
Several factors can lead to an accident with a mooring line or with other associated equipment. A mooring line snap-back, one of the most dangerous potential mooring accidents, can be caused by:
- Damaged, old, or poorly maintained lines
- Lack of regular inspections of lines and mooring equipment
- Inadequate fastening at either end of a mooring line
- Inadequate training of workers mooring a vessel
- Lack of awareness of the snap-back zone of a mooring line
- Failure of equipment used during mooring
Snap-back accidents are among the most dangerous mooring line incidents, but they are not the only ones. Other accidents can occur when equipment is not maintained or properly used, workers are not trained or are too few, and the mooring area of the ship is slippery or cluttered.
Rope bight accidents also occur with mooring lines and can cause minor to severe injuries. Coiled lines on decks are called bights. If workers step inside the center of a bight, they can get caught in a moving line and injured or even pulled overboard. Lack of awareness and safety procedures cause bight acciddents.
Lack of safety gear and personal protective equipment can worsen injuries from mooring accidents. Workers can hurt their hands by not wearing gloves when handling lines or using winches. Workers struck and knocked into the water may drown if they are not wearing a flotation device.
Common Mooring Injuries
The worst outcome of a mooring accident is death. Workers can be killed when struck with mooring lines due to physical trauma and injuries or from being knocked overboard and drowned. Other injuries often associated with mooring line accidents include:
- Fractures
- Decapitation
- Spinal injuries
- Head injuries
- Lacerations
Examples of Mooring Accidents and Injuries
The maritime industry has several unfortunate examples of mooring line accidents causing injuries or fatalities.
- One example of a fatality occurred in 2023 when a worker on a cargo vessel suffered fatal head trauma. A mooring line under tension was released from one end and struck the worker in the head.
- Another accident involved a longshoreman. He was releasing a ship’s mooring line. The concrete around the mooring cleat was crumbling, which caused him to lose his footing and fall into the water. He was not wearing a life vest and drowned.
- In an incident in Malta in 2022, workers were adjusting the tension on mooring lines. One of the lines split and struck a worker in the face. He suffered severe facial injuries.
What to Do if You Were Hurt in a Mooring Line Accident
If you are involved in a mooring line accident, you will likely need immediate or emergency medical care. This should be the first priority. You should also ensure the incident is reported following the correct chain of command.
Keep a record of the report, your recollection of the incident, and your medical records. You may be able to seek damages according to maritime law. Contact a maritime lawyer to determine which laws apply to you and the steps you need to take to get compensated.
If you work on a vessel, you are likely covered by the Jones Act, which allows seamen to sue for damages when negligence causes an accident. If you work on shore, you could be qualified under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act.
A maritime lawyer can explain all the complexities of these and other applicable laws. They will take all necessary steps for you and give you the best chance of compensation.