The following case study is from CHIRP Maritime’s Superyacht Feedback. It is the first superyacht-specific programme and publication dedicated to improving safety in the maritime industry through vital knowledge sharing, anonymous reporting, analysis and feedback via the Superyacht Maritime Advisory Board.

Initial report

Chirp’s reporter described an incident involving a 70-metre yacht anchored in a very tight anchorage. The yacht had a limited swing radius (130m; 160m would have resulted in grounding) and just 3 metres of under-keel clearance.

In preparation for bad weather, the master decided to deploy two anchors. However, both anchors remained deployed after the weather cleared. When the anchors were retrieved a few days later, the crew discovered that the chains were severely twisted, requiring over 12 hours of effort to untangle them, during which the vessel was slowly dragging towards nearby shallows.

With the worsening weather forecast, the decision was taken to release both anchors from their bitter ends to prevent grounding. The vessel then made its way to port before the storm hit. A salvage company recovered the anchors and returned them to the vessel a few days later.

CHIRP comment

Anchorage locations should continuously be assessed for proximity to known hazards, including under-keel clearance and potential grounding, safe swinging distance from other nearby vessels, and holding ground capability in inclement weather.

Although vessels will generally anchor close to the shore for their passengers’ convenience, vessels should be ready to move to a deeper anchorage if the vessel’s safety cannot be assured. In this incident, the vessel was anchored only 30 metres from a lee shore. Given the expected weather forecast, this was an unacceptable and unnecessary risk.

Using two anchors when expecting bad weather can help to control the vessel’s yaw but should be considered a temporary measure only because of the heightened risk of them being fouled. As soon as the reason for deploying the second anchor has passed, it should be weighed and brought home. An anchor home ready for an emergency is good contingency planning.

Key issues relating to this report

Capability: Does your bridge team have the necessary knowledge and training to understand and appreciate the use of the ship’s anchors? Given the proximity to the shore and other vessels in the anchorage, a vigilant bridge anchor watch is required. What does your SMS advise on anchoring operations?

Teamwork: Continually review whether the second anchor is required, and weigh the second anchor when the original reason for using two anchors is no longer required.

Situational Awareness: While at anchor, a member of the bridge team should periodically visit the fo’c’stle to monitor the growth and stay of the anchor chain (or chains) so that issues can be identified early – i.e. before the chains become twisted.

Alerting: If you were in a similar situation, would you alert the master that the other anchor should be brought home so it can be used in an emergency?

CHIRP Maritime, a UK-registered charity, has launched Superyacht Feedback, the first superyacht-specific programme and publication to improve safety in the maritime industry through confidential reporting and safety analysis onboard. To register or submit your feedback, please click here.

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