Topic
Mooring Line Snapback
Sudden recoil or release of tensioned mooring or heaving lines.
Documents
- 202628 Apr
Heaving line snap-back causes injury
A tensioned heaving line broke during berthing, causing quayside workers to fall. One suffered a head impact after an unsecured helmet chin strap allowed the helmet to shift. The flash identifies missing inspections, congestion and inadequate supervision, and recommends line checks, safer positioning and stopping unsafe work.
- 2025Jul
CHIRP Superyacht FEEDBACK 10
Six superyacht reports examine dismissed safety concerns, inconsistent fall protection, unsafe pilot boarding, crew abandonment, a mooring-line injury and chemical burns. Commentary addresses leadership, reporting protection, procedural compliance and task risk assessment. An appended flag-state flyer reinforces safe working at height, equipment training and intervention in unsafe work.
- 202529 Apr
Positive findings and good practices
This safety flash shares positive vessel practices covering machinery lockout/tagout, mooring-deck markings and engine-room housekeeping. It highlights protection against unexpected energisation, recommends warnings about potential snapback across the entire mooring deck, and describes how orderly engine rooms reduce slip, trip and fire hazards while supporting maintenance.
- 20256 Feb
MAIB: Parted mooring rope leads to fatality
A deck officer suffered fatal head injuries when a mooring line parted during strong winds alongside a container vessel. Released tension lifted a bight aboard, rather than snapping the rope end onto the forecastle. The flash discusses snap-back zones, possible arrestors and a campaign encouraging crew to challenge unsafe positioning.
- 202421 Nov
Mooring deck accident on bulk carrier Mona Manx with loss of 1 life
Investigation into a fatal mooring accident aboard Mona Manx at Puerto Ventanas, Chile. An entrapped spring line released under tension during an engine-powered astern manoeuvre and recoiled upwards, striking the second officer. The report examines procedural gaps, omitted entrapment risks, safe positioning and communication, and records subsequent safety actions.
- 20228 Nov
MAIB: mv Teal Bay mooring fatality
This flash summarises MAIB findings on a fatal mooring-line strike aboard Teal Bay during ship-to-ship grain loading. It examines open fairlead containment, increasing lead angles, insufficient crewing and planning, and delayed medical response. Actions include crew training and planned replacement of open fairleads; remote investigation constrained available evidence.
- 202224 Oct
Serious injury during mooring operations: rope parted
A tensioned mooring line parted during a chemical tanker’s mooring operation in Malta, striking the third officer and causing serious facial injuries. Testing found substantial loss of rope strength. The flash describes configuration and communication concerns, alongside revised risk assessments, training, residual-strength testing, rope lifetime limits and snapback-arrestor technology.
- 20224 Jul
Lost Time Injuries due to a failed mooring line
A stern-to-quayside mooring line failure injured two crew members through snapback, resulting in lost time injuries. The flash discusses rope friction, shortened line length, mooring routing and gaps in risk assessment. Lessons address improved camera monitoring, line protection and conditional routing changes to avoid snapback exposure on the working deck.
- 20221 Apr
Mooring near miss: Guide roller pin suffered material failure
A vessel’s deck stand guide roller pin failed during mooring and struck a heater, without injury. Investigation identified degradation, inadequate inspection and a complicated line arrangement that increased axial forces and overloaded structures. Lessons address suitable mooring arrangements, avoiding multiple turns, toolbox discussions and three-yearly roller dismantling and overhaul.
- 20216 May
Swedish Club: Lessons learned – crew member loses leg in mooring injury
A crew member lost a leg after becoming trapped between a rapidly paying-out mooring line and a fairlead. The lines sank and caught in the propeller. The flash examines how a bight around a bollard expanded the snapback zone and highlights the need to reassess mooring risks for each operation.
- 202119 Jan
Dutch Safety Board: Fatality when mooring line snapped
This safety flash summarises a fatal mooring-line recoil aboard RN Privodino while entering a lock. It examines transfer between winch drums while the vessel was moving, communication failures and restricted supervision. Lessons address vessel positioning before tensioning lines, supervisors’ workload and changing snap-back danger areas.
- 201923 Aug
Mooring incident: Mooring line slipped off and snapped back
A cargo barge’s mooring line slipped from its bollards and recoiled into an attending tug, damaging its antenna dome. Temporary loss of barge control led to a collision without damage. The flash examines incorrect mooring arrangements, backward-angled bollards and towing-bridle slack, and discusses conditional figure-of-eight mooring, training and contingency practice.
- 201831 Jan
Snapped mooring line
A stern mooring line jammed in a winch storage drum while a vessel entered a port lock, then parted under tension as the vessel moved forward. No crew were struck. The flash emphasises pre-mooring briefings, equipment checks, clearing jammed lines and communication between stations and the bridge.
- 201715 Jun
Failure of mooring line on board LNG carrier Zarga with 1 person injured
Investigates a spring-line failure during Zarga’s repositioning at South Hook LNG terminal, seriously injuring the mooring officer. Destructive testing, microscopy and modelling examined jacketed HMPE rope degradation and snap-back. Findings address axial compression fatigue, line–fairlead compatibility, misleading safe areas, supervision and ineffective inspection and retirement arrangements.
- 201715 Jun
High potential near-miss: Mooring rope parted
A mooring buoy rope parted while a vessel was moored, without injury or vessel damage. The flash attributes failure to wear and inadequate routine inspection. Lessons address regular rope inspection, withdrawal of ropes in poor condition, and crew briefings on defects and snapback precautions.
- 201630 Jun
Mooring rope fouled the propeller and parted
During berthing, excessively slackened mooring ropes fouled a turning propeller, became taut and parted. Near-vertical recoil missed crew standing in the snapback zone. The flash identifies communication, awareness and supervision shortcomings, and records preventive actions involving risk assessment, briefings, crew retraining and ship-specific constraints.
- 201611 Feb
Second safety warning issued after mooring line failure on board LNG tanker Zarga resulted in serious injury to a deck officer
MAIB’s second bulletin on Zarga’s mooring-rope failure examines jacketed HMPE construction, hidden yarn damage consistent with axial compression fatigue, and undersized fitting rollers. Following serious injury to a deck officer, it strongly advises operators to consult manufacturers about rope suitability, fitting compatibility and condition monitoring before ropes become materially degraded.
- 2015Oct
MAIB Safety Digest 2/2015
A compilation of 25 marine accident articles shares lessons for merchant vessels, fishing boats and small craft. Cases examine collisions, grounding, mooring casualties, fire, flooding and people entering the water. Lessons address supervision, briefings, navigation equipment, lifejacket reliability and emergency preparations, with additional analysis of synthetic mooring-line recoil.
- 201510 Aug
Mooring line failure resulting in serious injury
A deck officer suffered serious head injuries when a forward spring line parted and recoiled during efforts to reposition a berthed vessel in gusty winds. The flash describes repeated winch stalling and slipping, the officer’s position near a roller fairlead, and subsequent MAIB trials measuring mooring-line elongation and snap-back behaviour.
- 20158 Jul
Safety warning issued after mooring line failure on board LNG tanker Zarga resulted in serious injury to a deck officer
This safety bulletin examines a mooring-line failure aboard Zarga at Milford Haven that seriously injured a deck officer. Trials demonstrated how elastic synthetic tails increased recoil in low-elasticity UHMPE lines. Lessons address tail length, line suitability, complex snap-back zones and regular review of mooring risk assessments while the investigation remained ongoing.
- 201414 Jul
Lost time injury (LTI) during mooring operations
A chief officer sustained a fractured skull after a mooring line slipped off a bitt, struck his chest and caused him to fall backwards onto the tug’s deck. The flash examines snap-back exposure, mooring geometry and inadequate change management, highlighting stop-work intervention, toolbox communication and crew competence.
- 2012Oct
MAIB Safety Digest 2/2012
A collection of marine accident narratives and lessons for merchant vessels, fishing boats and small craft. Cases examine collisions, groundings, mooring fatalities, fires, equipment failures and people overboard. Discussion covers ECDIS alarms, rope condition, rescue-craft recovery, passage planning, risk assessment and emergency drills. Appendix coverage dates concern investigations started, not the case incidents.
- 2011Dec
Parting of mooring rope from container vessel Fremantle Express with loss of 1 life
This investigation examines a fatal mooring-line recoil aboard Fremantle Express during berthing at Veracruz. It analyses snatch loading, pre-existing rope abrasion, restricted visibility from relocated winch controls and crew communication. Findings address rope retirement criteria, recognition of snap-back hazards, toolbox meetings and allocation of experienced crew to mooring stations.
- 201010 Nov
Crewman fatally injured during mooring operations
A deckhand suffered fatal injuries when a chain broke at a pad-eye connection during manoeuvring of two vessels, swinging with the mooring rope across the deck. The flash identifies underestimated breaking strain and communication limitations, and recommends revised procedures, risk assessments, equipment checks and clearer coordination.
- 20031 Aug
Dangers when mooring and unmooring
A rigger operating a capstan on a member’s vessel was nearly struck by a mooring line. This flash presents recommendations for mooring and unmooring, including toolbox talks, agreed sequences, line condition checks, standing clear of breaking or jumping lines, effective deck–foreman communication and stopping hazardous operations before proceeding safely.
- 20031 Feb
Fatality results from failure of ship’s mooring fittings and supporting structure
A crew member died when a bow spring line recoiled after a fairlead baseplate tore from the forecastle deck during departure from port. Inspection revealed rusted and cracked welds despite an apparently sound condition. The flash highlights mooring geometry, supporting structural strength and careful, regular inspection.
- Undated
Snapped Mooring Rope Injures Crew Member During Tying-Up Operations
A crew member on the motor vessel Pope John Paul II sustained fractures to both hands and legs when a mooring rope snapped during tying-up operations. The report identifies poor communication between the crew member and captain as the probable cause and records no recommendations.
- Undated
Parting of mooring line on oil products tanker Alfa Britannia and striking crew on the gig-boat Osprey resulting in 4 people injured
Investigation synopsis of a mooring-line failure during berthing at Tranmere oil terminal. Recoil struck Osprey and injured its four crew. Testing attributed nylon-tail failure to dynamic loading from ship movement. Conflicting pilot and master understandings exposed a communication breakdown; recommendations addressed terminal-specific mooring guidelines and ship-specific plans.
- Undated
Parting of mooring line on ro-ro cargo vessel Dart 8 with 1 person injured
An investigation into a mooring rope failure during Dart 8’s berthing on the River Thames, seriously injuring the bosun. Rope analysis identified severe abrasion and reduced residual strength, while winch testing found no defects. Missed slackening instructions and ineffective inspections are described, alongside subsequent planned rope maintenance.
- Undated
Parting of mooring line on ro-ro passenger ferry Dublin Viking with loss of 1 life
Investigation synopsis of a fatal mooring-line recoil aboard Dublin Viking during departure preparations in Dublin. It examines unintended winch operation, simultaneous control of two winches, ultraviolet degradation of the rope and informal inspection procedures. The second officer died six days later; a shore worker was also injured.