This incident is drawn from the UK Marine Accident Investigation Department (MAIB) Security Digest 1/2025. It highlights a current case reviewed by IMCA to share classes of curiosity with the broader maritime group.
What Occurred
A crew member sustained extreme hand accidents throughout mooring operations involving a port tender and a barge on a busy river. The port tender was transferring two staff to a barge that already had two boats secured alongside.
To facilitate boarding, the tender was positioned subsequent to one of many moored boats. A crew member secured the tender utilizing a mooring rope tied between cleats on the tender and the adjoining boat. As a result of tender’s decrease freeboard, the mooring rope was beneath a steep angle.
The river present triggered the tender to shift, dislodging the mooring rope from the cleat. Because the crew member tried to resecure the rope, the wake from a passing vessel triggered the tender to rise and fall sharply.
Whereas putting the attention of the rope again onto the cleat, the tender abruptly dropped, trapping the crew member’s fingers within the rope bight and crushing them in opposition to the cleat. The accident resulted within the severing of the tip of the little finger and extreme crushing of the ring finger on the correct hand. The injured crew member was transported ashore by the skipper after which taken to a hospital through ambulance.
Why It Occurred (Trigger & Security Elements)
The incident was attributable to the relative motion between the tender and the mooring level, mixed with the steep angle of the mooring rope as a result of vital peak distinction between the vessels.
Contributing components included the dynamic river circumstances, wake from passing site visitors, and the position of arms in proximity to tensioning traces. The necessity to resecure a mooring rope that had slipped off additional elevated the publicity to entrapment threat.
Actions Taken
The skipper responded instantly by elevating the alarm and transporting the injured crew member ashore for medical consideration. No additional corrective actions had been detailed within the report.
Classes Realized
At all times anticipate relative movement between vessels when dealing with mooring traces, particularly in areas with sturdy currents or frequent wakes.
Maintain fingers and arms away from rope bights and cleats to keep away from entrapment throughout tensioning or motion.
If mooring traces can’t be run horizontally as a result of vessel design or peak variations, conduct a threat evaluation to judge cleat design and positioning to attenuate slippage and dealing with dangers.
Routine mooring operations ought to incorporate controls for managing sudden vessel motion, together with coaching and procedural safeguards.
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Supply: IMCA
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