Anchors

The mooring system relies on the strength of the anchors. The holding capacity of anchors
depends on the digging depth and the soil properties. The mooring lines run from the vessel
to the anchors on the seafloor. Anchor types include: drag embedment, suction and vertical
load.

A drag embedment anchor (DEA) is the most utilized anchor for mooring floating MODUs in
the Gulf of Mexico. The drag anchor is dragged along the seabed until it reaches the
required depth. As it penetrates the seabed, it uses soil resistance to hold the anchor in
place. The drag embedment anchor is mainly used for catenary moorings, where the
mooring line arrives on the seabed horizontally. It does not perform well under vertical
forces.

Suction piles are the predominant mooring and foundation system used for deepwater
development projects worldwide. Tubular piles are driven into the seabed and a pump sucks
out the water from the top of the tubular, which pulls the pile further into the seabed. Suction
piles can be used in sand, clay and mud soils, but not gravel, as water can flow through the
ground during installation, making suction difficult. Once the pile is in position, the friction
between the pile and the soil holds it in place. It can resist both vertical and horizontal forces.

Suction Pile
Source: sdi.ca

Vertical load anchors are similar to drag anchors as they are installed in the same way.
However, the vertical load anchor can withstand both horizontal and vertical mooring forces.
It is used primarily in taut leg mooring systems, where the mooring line arrives at an angle
the seabed.

Mooring Systems
There are six types of mooring systems discussed below. They include catenary, taut leg,
semi-taut, spread, single point and dynamic positioning.

The catenary mooring system is the most commonly used system in shallow water. It gets its
name from the shape of the free hanging line as its configuration changes due to vessel
motions. At the seabed, the mooring line lies horizontally; thus the mooring line has to be
longer than the water depth. Increasing the length of the mooring line also increases its
weight. As the water depth increases, the weight of the line lessens the working payload of
the vessel. In that case, synthetic ropes are used. As water depth increases, conventional,
catenary systems become less and less economical.

The tout leg system typically uses polyester rope that is pre-tensioned until taut. The rope
comes in at a 30 to 45 degree angle on the seabed where it meets the anchor (suction piles
or vertically loaded anchors), which is loaded vertically. When the platform drifts horizontally
with wind or current, the lines stretch and this sets up an opposing force.

The semi-taut system combines taut lines and catenary lines in one system. It is ideally used
in deepwater.

A spread mooring system is a group of mooring lines distributed over the bow and stern of
the vessel to anchors on the seafloor. The vessel is positioned in a fixed heading, which is
determined by the sea and weather conditions. The symmetrical arrangement of anchors
helps to keep the ship on its fixed heading location. The spread mooring system does not
allow the vessel to weathervane, which means to rotate in the horizontal plane due to wind,
waves or current. Spread mooring is versatile as it can be used in any water depth, on any
vessel, in an equally spread pattern or a group.

Single Point Mooring System

A single point mooring system connects all the lines to a single point. It links subsea
manifolds connections and weathervaning tankers, which are free to rotate 360 degrees.
The single point system includes a buoy, mooring and anchoring elements, product transfer
system and other components.
Dynamic positioning does not use mooring lines. Instead a computer controls the vessel's
thrusters and propellers to maintain position. DP can be used in combination with other
mooring systems to provide additional redundancy.

A mooring system is made up of a mooring line, anchor and connectors, and is used for
station keeping of a ship or floating platform in all water depths. A mooring line connects an
anchor on the seafloor to a floating structure. We will focus on mooring Mobile Offshore
Drilling Units and Floating Production Systems.

Grouted Screw MooringSource: pacificmarinegroup.com

The mooring line can be made up of synthetic fiber rope, wire and chain or a combination of
the three. Environmental factors - wind, waves and currents - determine which materials
make up the mooring system.

Chain is the most common choice for permanent moorings in shallow water up o 100 m,
whereas steel wire rope is lighter weight and has a higher elasticity than chain, which is a
better choice in water depths greater than 300 m. However, synthetic fiber rope is the
lightest weight of all three. Configurations include all chain, chain and wire rope
(conventional mooring line to 2,000 m), chain and synthetic fiber rope, and chain, wire rope
and synthetic fiber rope combinations are used in ultra-deepwater (greater than 2,000 m).

Anchoring is one of the very frequent operations onboard ships. A number of variables and external
factors influence the duration and location of an anchoring operation. While the type of seabed is of
utmost importance during anchoring, soft muddy grounds or clay bottoms are best preferred. It
should be taken care that the anchoring bottom is free of power lines, submarine cables, pipelines or
rocks.

Various methods on anchoring include consideration of direction and strength of wind, current and
tidal stream. Often good local knowledge helps a mariner determine required manoeuvres and
actions to be taken while anchoring.

This operations comes under the responsibility of deck officers. It involves the use of critical
shipboard equipment and requires high level of situational awareness. The key responsibility of the
deck officer at an anchor station is to use the anchoring machinery and available man power for
carrying out the operation safely and efficiently in accordance with the master’s instructions.

In most of the cases, theoretical guidelines and bookish knowledge are helpful only to an extent.
Situational awareness and spontaneity of the officers, and their instant decision making capability
helps to carry out the operation fruitfully. A good knowledge of ship’s maneuverability and the
limitation of the equipment involved will further help the officer to make such spontaneous
decisions. The competency of the officer is decided upon his ability to consider the situation,
command his crew and to assess the orders give by the Master, to carry out the operation safely and
efficiently.