Vessel break away from jetty

Vessel Break Away From Jetty Can Causes personal Injury, Significant Contact Damage To The Vessel Including Ranging And Grounding, Damage, Damage To Adjacent Vessels, Damage To The Environment. The Majority Of These Incidents Occured During Periods Of Adverse Weather, With High Winds Acting On Vessels With Large Windage Areas In Many Cases Additional Mooring Lines Were Deployed In Anticipation Of High Winds,ultimately To No Avail.
In Some Case The Vessel Moorings Were Even Supplemented By Shore Lines With Load Monitoring,however,the Vessel Still Broke Free Due To Excessive Loads On The Lines,seemingly As A Result Of Abnormal Tidal Flow Caused By Restricted Under Keel Clearance.in Another Case,the Vessel Did Get Tugs To Hold Her Alongside The Berth,only To Stand Them Down Prematurely. The Second Time The Vessel Came Off The Berth She Grounded Resulting In Substantial Bottom Damage.

What Are The Reasons Behind Such Incidents?
Whilst Incidents Of This Nature May Involve Reports Of Defective Mooring Equipment Or Lack Of Attention To Moorings, Investigations Suggest That In Many Incidents A Proper Risk Assessment Was Not Undertaken.it Is Recommended That Appropriate Risk Assessment Are Carried Out, Taking Into Consideration The Vessel’s Characteristics Type, Size, Trading Pattern And The Prevailing Weather Conditions. Factors To Be Taken Into Consideration Include, But Should Not Be Limited To, The Following:
Examples Of Wind, Tidal, Swell And Weather Related Factors
Wind Loads Exerted Onto A Vessel’s Superstructure And Hull Above The Water Line, Which Can Form A Large Proportion Of The Total Load On The Mooring System Depending On The Moored Vessel’s Location And Characteristics. Wave Loads On A Vessel, Which Can Vary Depending On The Vessel’s Response To Waves Of Varying Periods And Heights.of Special Concern Are Moorings In Relatively Shallow Water Depths, In Low Tide And High Wave Conditions.these Conditions Can Lead To Violent Vessel Behaviour At The Moorings (breaking Waves, Excessive Motions, Snatch Loads Etc.)And In Extreme Cases, Loss Of Under-keel Clearanse In Wave Troughs For Larger, Deeper Draft Vessels.Forces Resulting From Steady Currents In Combination With Other Loadings,especially At Low Water Levels In Breaking Wave Conditions, Which Can Also Exert Substantial Loads On A Ship’s Mooring System. The Effect Of Wind Against Tide Or Current And The Effect Of A Change In Tide Direction On Moorings. Tidal Surges Before, During And After Storms, Which May Be Well Away From The Area In Which The Vessel Is Berthed,causing Unusually Large Tidal Ranges And Lower Than Expected Water Levels. Examples Of Port/berth Related Factors - Characteristics And History Of The Port And Berth Any Unusual Occurrences.
- Peculiar Features Of The Berth Such As Overhanging Arrangements, Obstruction By Gantry Cranes, Wind Funnelling Effects From Shore Structures.
- Design / Type, Position, Quality And Adequacy Of Shore Mooring Equipment Including Storm Moorings And Fenders And Of Tugs.
- Exposure At The Berth To Wind,tide And Swell Conditions.
- Delay In The Availability Of Shore Mooring, Equipment, Mooring Gangs, Pilots And Tugs Etc.in Normal As Well As Emergency Situations.
- Proximity Of Other Vessels And Hazards In The Vicinity Of The Berth.
- Effect Of Passing Vessels On Vessels Moored Alongside.
- Availability Of Storm Bollards, Which May Not Be Useable During Cargo Operations If Moorings Restrict Working On The Berth.
.- Port/terminal Procedures In The Event Of Extreme Conditions And Their Suitability.
Examples Of Vessel Related Factors - Size/type Of Vessel, Notably The Windage Area (including Windage Area Due To Cargo Or Containers If Applicable) And The Related Effects Of The Same With Chandes In Wind, Tidal And Swell Conditions.
- Design/type And Condition Of Mooring Equipment, Its Limitations And Weaknesses
- Suitability Of The Mooring Pattern-number Of Lines, Lengths, Angles And Leads And The Ability To Maintain Even Tension On The Lines.
- Manning Level/crew Availability For Normal As Well As Adverse Weather Conditions.
- Weather Forecast And Warnings-reliability And Frequency. - Readiness Of Engines, Anchors And Power On Deck.
- Availability, Condition And Readiness Of Additional Moorings.

Whay Should We Do To Avoid Such Incidents?
It Is Recommend That The Master Carries Out A Proper Risk Assessment For The Different Mooring Conditions And Loadings To Suit Their Specific Vessel Characteristics And Mooring Location In Normal As Well As Adverse Weather Conditions. The Master Is Encouraged To Be Proactive In Requesting Information From The Port, Pilots And Agents And In Establishing How Warnings Will Be Broadcast By The Port However, He Should Not Rely Wholly On Information From Other Parties.in The Event That Deteriorating Conditions Are Forecast, The Master Should Make Timely Decisions To Ensure That The Vessel Is Brought To A State Of Immediate Readiness.amongst Other Things The Master Will Want To Esure That,before Conditions Become Extreme, The Vessel Is Fully Manned,is Appropriately Ballasted For Heavy Weather(with Due Regard To Under Keel Clearance At The Berth And In The Port),has Engines Ready, And Is In Close Contact With The Terminal And Port Authorities In Relation To Timing And Availability For Stoppage Of Cargo Operations,deployment Of Additional (storm) Moorings, And For Tugs, Pilots Etc. Most Importantly,the Master Will Need To Decide Whether To Ramain Alongside Or Depart From The Berth To Sea Or A Safe Anchorage.it Is Worth Bearing In Mind That Additional Precautions Such As Extra Mooring Lines May Not Prevent A Ship From Breaking Free From Her Moorings.
Last, But By No Means Least, It Is Also Worth Remembering That Mooring Stations Can Be Very Dangerous Plsces In Bad Conditions, Hence Another Good Reason Not To Delay Departure From The Berth Until It Is Dangerously Late The Terminal