Investigation Report
Safety warning issued after mooring line failure on board LNG tanker Zarga resulted in serious injury to a deck officer
Safety warning issued after mooring line failure on board LNG tanker Zarga resulted in serious injury to a deck officer
- MAIB
- Investigation Report
- Line of FireVessel and Mooring
- Mooring line snapback
- Mooring operations
- Mooring lines
- Exclusion zonesRisk assessment
- Marine industry
- Port and quaysideVessel
Summary
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.
Classifications: Mooring line snapback; snap-back; snapback; mooring line recoil.
Classifications: Mooring operations; berthing; unmooring.
Classifications: Mooring lines; mooring rope; mooring wire.
Classifications: Exclusion zones; red zones; restricted access zones.
Classifications: Risk assessment; hazard assessment.
Classifications: Marine industry; shipping industry; maritime sector.
Classifications: Port and quayside; quayside; harbour; harbor.
Classifications: Vessel; aboard ship; onboard vessel.
Summary
Urgent safety lessons on the elongation and snap-back characteristics of mooring lines
Themes: line of fire, vessel and mooring.