ANCHORING

Anchoring a vessel and getting underway from an anchorage is a shiphandling

manoeuver that ship Masters are commonly required to do.

Planning:

 As with any other shiphandling operation, a proper plan

should be developed prior to anchoring. The planning involves
careful scrutiny of the chart of the area the vessel is proposing
to anchor. Items that need to be considered are:

1. Local customs and practice such as any port regulations that

designate anchorage areas for the type and size of ship.
2. Direction and strength of wind and current
3. Depth of water.
4. Maneuvering room for the approach.
5. Swinging room at the anchorage.
6. Type of bottom (holding ground, good or bad)
7. Location of navigational hazards and distance from the shore.
8. Conditions affecting visibility, weather and currents.
9. Length of time the vessel intends to stay at anchor.
10. If possible, the number and location of other ships at anchor.
As the ship approaches the anchorage, this will become
apparent and may require the approach plan to be altered.
Hence, plan must remain flexible.

 These factors will play a great role in determining the ‘scope’ of

the cable. ‘Scope’ is the name given to the amount of anchor
cable paid out from the hawse pipe to the anchor crown ‘D’
shackle. It will vary with each case and previous experience;
however, as a general rule, four times the depth of water may
be taken as a working minimum. This would change, say, if the
holding ground was bad, the weather deteriorating, and you were
expected to remain at anchor for a long period of time.

 Observation of other ships at anchor will give the shiphandler a

 good idea of how the wind and current are affecting the
ships. It will also give an indication if there are any ships that
are underway at the anchorage.
 The direction of wind and current will determine the preferred
approach direction and the final heading after anchoring. The
shiphandler should try and approach the anchorage at a steady
heading while slowing down. As the ship slows down, the
effect of set and drift will increase. It may be required to pass
downstream and to leeward of other anchored ships and then
round up to get on the desired heading. When
approaching an anchorage, the shiphandler should never pass
upstream or to windward of other ships.
 In addition, the shiphandler must be aware of the effects of depth
of water on the manoeuvring characteristics of the vessel.
 The type of bottom will determine the holding capability of the
anchor. Mud and clay can be considered to be average or good,
sand is average whereas gravel, stones, pebbles and rocky
are very poor.

Briefing:

 The Master must brief the Anchoring crew (Anchor Party) on the
anchoring plan prior to approaching the anchorage. The brief
should include:

1. Which anchor will be used.

2. If the anchor will be walked back or let go, or combination of the two.
3. How much chain will be initially paid out
4. Final amount of cable to be paid out.
5. Any other unusual items in the plan or any backup, if applicable.

Procedures for clearing anchors

 Clearing of anchors means the removal of all lashings, covers

and other fittings that may come in the way of dropping the
anchors, except the Bow Stoppers. This is done whenever the
ship is approaching harbour, or an anchorage, or when
approaching fog or other dangers, etc. in shallow waters,
 when it may be necessary to drop the anchor at short notice.

 The procedure involves:

1. Clearing of the covers of the hawse pipes.

2. The removal of devil’s claw or other lashings of the anchor cable.
3. Removal of covers of the spurling pipes. (also cement if used
to seal the spurling pipe)
4. Checking that the windlass brakes of both anchors are
as tight as reasonably possible.
5. Ensuring that there is no tension on the bow stoppers.
6. Trying out the bow stopper mechanism to ensure that it
operates freely, but returning it back to the active
position.

 Clearing away is done well in advance of the required anchoring

time. It is not safe to keep the anchor up in place only by the
brake. Brake slipping while ship is underway at full speed could
end up with disastrous results. Hence, bow stoppers are not
released at this stage.

Preparing Anchor For ‘Letting Go’

 Once power has been obtained on deck, and the windlass has
been oiled and checked, the anchors must be made ready to
‘let go’. This operation must be carried out carefully and
systematically to ensure that the ‘letting go’ operation will run
smoothly. The following operations are carried out:

1. Ensure that windlass brake is on and holding and put windlass in gear.
2. Remove the hawse pipe covers, devil’s claw and any additional
lashings.
3. Remove the bow stopper, guillotine or compressor.
4. Take off the brake and walk the cable back a short distance.
This will also break the cement seal on the spurling pipe, if
any.
5. Walk back on the cable until the anchor is out, clear of the
hawse pipe and above the water surface.
 6. Screw the brake on hard and check that the brake is holding.
7. Take the windlass out of gear, leaving the anchor holding on the
brake.
8. Confirm that it is out of gear by turning the windlass on power briefly.
9. Report to the Bridge that the anchor is on brake and ready for letting
go.

 As the vessel is approaching anchorage, the following items

should be done by the Master:

1. Ensure that the largest scale of chart is used and thoroughly

checked to confirm that the anchorage position is clear of
any cables, pipeline, wrecks or other obstructions.
2. Ensure that the bow is properly manned with a mate and
properly trained crew members familiar with the proper
operation of the anchor windlass.
3. Check that the E/R is notified, well manned and ready for
manoeuvring.
4. Engines must be tested well in advance and the speed of
the vessel should be under control, so as to not
overshoot or undershoot the anchorage position. If
Master feels the ship’s speed is more than required, he
should exercise zig-zag maneuver (rudder cycling) to reduce
the speed.
5. Ensure that there is power on deck and the anchors are cleared away.
6. Ensure that the anchor is lowered upto the water level and
on brakes, ready for letting go. If the sea is rough, it might be
necessary to wait to get to sheltered waters before lowering
the anchor in order to prevent the swinging and hitting the
side of the ship. If the depth of water is more, it is better to
walk back the anchor rather than letting go.
7. Ensure ship’s position is monitored closely using visual fixes,
GPS, ECDIS and parallel indexing in order to monitor the
vessel’s track during the approach.
8. Keep the anchor party stationed at the bow, well-informed on
how far to go before letting go and give them a stand-by
warning.
Letting-Go Anchor:

 When the ship reaches the anchorage position, it should be

stopped or have a slight sternway, with ships engines run astern.
This will cause the bow to fall off to starboard, for a vessel with
right-handed propeller. If port anchor is being used, this would
be helpful as it will ensure the cable is clear of the vessel. But if
starboard anchor is used, there is a chance of anchor chain
going under the bow or crossing the bow. In this case,
before stern movement is given, rudder is put to hard port to
get some port swing.

 The ship can be determined to be dead in the water by observing

the GPS or Doppler or the stern wash coming up the ship’s
side. When the propeller wash reaches abeam of the bridge,
the Master uses that as a guide to confirm that the ship has
lost way.
 The shiphandler must let the ship gain slight sternway before
dropping the anchor. The engines are then kept going dead slow
astern as the anchor is let go. Engines are stopped almost
immediately and the vessel drifts astern laying out her cable
which grows continually ahead.
 Just before the required scope is out, the engines are touched
ahead so that the vessel gets to her cable as gently as possible.
This method ensures that the cable is clear of the hull plating
at all times.
 The mate on the bow must keep the Master informed as to the
chain’s lead and strain. It may be necessary to go astern to stretch
out the chain or come ahead on the engines to ease the strain.
 The anchor is said to be fetched up (or brought up) when the
chain takes a moderate to heavy strain and then eases off.
The engines must not be secured and the anchor party must
not be dismissed until it is confirmed that the anchor is
fetched up.
ANCHORING IN DIFFERENT CONDITIONS:

(1) In waters upto 20 metres deep,

 The anchor and cable should be ‘let go’ on the run, allowing the
length of cable about twice the depth of water to run before
checking it on brake.
 As soon as the anchor touches the bottom, the weight of the
anchor is off the cable. Because of this, it may sometimes
happen that the cable will not render itself even when the brake
is open. If the cable is snubbed (stops running) as soon as the
anchor touches the bottom, the anchor will be dragged along
the sea-bed and will be unable to grip.
 This happens when there is a heavy weight of cable abaft the
gypsy, leading down into the locker, and when the gypsy is in
need of lubrication.
(2) In waters of over 20 metres deep,
 The anchor should be first be “walked back” to within say 4 or
5 metres from the sea-bed, and then let go from there.
 This ensures that the anchor will not damage itself falling a
considerable distance on to a hard bottom, and also that the
cable will not take charge and run out so rapidly that it becomes
extremely difficult to hold it on the brake. This practice therefore
considerably increases the life of the brake linings.

(3) In very deep anchoring depths, 100m and over,

 The entire operation of anchoring should be done under power.
 The gypsy should not be taken out of gear at all, because the
heavy weight of the cable between sea-bed and hawse pipe will
undoubtedly take charge.

(4) With wind,

 It is better to approach the anchorage heading upwind. This way,
the ship is more easily controlled and will make little leeway.
 If the wind cannot be brought ahead, the ship can let go the
anchor in the usual way and, using her engines to relieve
 stresses on the cable, swing her head into the wind as she is
brought up to.
 In very strong winds, lay out as much chain as possible, keeping in
mind the proximity of other vessels / obstructions.
 If the vessel is heading dead into the wind’s eye she should have
her head cast off one way or the other before letting go the
weather anchor. The cast should not be excessive, because the
ship will rapidly seek to lie across the wind and develop a sharp
swing to leeward. Correcting helm and bold use of engines
should be used if a sharp swing is experienced.

(5) With current,

 The vessel should try to head upstream and anchor normally as she
would.
 Her helm will be of use even when she is making no way over
the ground due the stream running past her.
 If the stream cannot be stemmed, the cable should be rapidly laid
out across the axis of the stream. By doing so, the bight
dragging across the sea-bed will bring her up to her anchor
very gently.
DRAGGING ANCHOR:

 A vessel dragging anchor is a threat to its own and also to other

vessels in the vicinity, often leading to an emergency
situation such as collision, grounding or stranding, etc.
 In such situations, a quick assessment of the situation can only be
achieved by a vigilant bridge watch, contingency plan to tackle
any emergency, quick response and good judgment.

Assessing:

 When the ship is secure at anchor, vessel’s swing radius must be

calculated and the ‘swinging circle’ must be drawn on the
chart or entered in the ECDIS display. The swinging circle’s
radius is approximately equal to the sum of the ship’s length and
the length of the cable from the hawse pipe to the anchor.
 It is also prudent to calculate and plot on the chart the ‘drag
 circle’. It is drawn with a radius that is found by substituting
the ship’s length by the length between the bow and bridge in
the above formula. Any bearing taken to check on the position
of the ship should, if the anchor is holding, fall within the drag
circle. If a fix falls outside the drag circle, then the anchor is
dragging.
 The OOW must check the position frequently using all available
means (GPS, Radar, ECDIS, etc) to confirm that the vessel is
remaining inside the swing / drag circle at all times. If it is not, it is
likely that the anchor is dragging.
 Check the anchor chains for slipping. A small pole with a cloth
as flag like arrangement can be tied to the links to understand
the slipping of anchor chains.
 In such a case, the bow of the ship cannot stand against the
wind and the ship starts to go abeam to the wind. There is extra
vibration and strain on the anchor chain. The anchor will
alternatively shift from long stay to short stay, back and forth.
 Ship’s speed over ground and direction of movement will also
indicate that the ship is moving and the anchor is dragging.
 Also, monitor the position and distance of vessels nearby. In case
if they are dragging, counter measures to be taken to safe
guard own vessel.
Action to take:

 Once an anchor starts to drag, the vessel gathers sternway,

and this may become excessive. Prompt action is necessary
in such a situation.
 If the OOW suspects that the anchor is dragging, the Master,
anchor party and E/R must be immediately informed. The
engines must be made ready for manoeuvring and power must
be given to the windlass. If the weather is bad or if the holding
ground is poor, the engines must be kept on standby for the
entire duration of the anchorage.
 All other operations must be stopped and all crafts that are
made fast alongside must be cast off. Anchor party must be
immediately sent forward.
 There are a number of options that could be used
 depending on the situation:

1. Pay out more anchor chain. The extra weight of the

chain and the additional scope allows the shank of the
anchor to lie horizontally on the seabed causing the flukes
to dig in.
2. Drop a second anchor to give extra holding power. This
must be done when the ship has sheered away from the
first anchor.
3. Heave up anchor and get underway with the possibility of re-
anchoring
in another location. Port control or VTS must be notified in any
case.
4. In some cases, the safest thing to do is to proceed to
open sea rather than trying to re-anchor the vessel,
especially in bad weather conditions.
5. Call for tug assistance if required. This is possible only if weather
permits.

 Make a Securite call on VHF notifying other ships in the

vicinity giving direction and speed of own vessel for them to
assess the danger and possibly take actions to mitigate the
situation.
 Increase the efficiency of Bridge team by adding an extra lookout if
needed.
 If it is not possible to heave up the anchor, it might be
possible to manoeuver the ship. However, this will put
tremendous strain on the anchor chain and it may part or slip
to the bitter end. Use bow thrusters for stemming the wind.
 The anchor can be let go completely by releasing the bitter
end, when weighing of anchor is not possible. A ship without
minimum of two anchors is not considered to be sea worthy, a
careful assessment is to be made prior making this decision

 Most accidents that happen while the vessel is at anchor are

mainly because of the delay in prediction of anchor dragging.
Time plays a vital role in area of high vessel density and this time
lapse results in difficulty in restoring the manoeuvrability of the
 vessel. Hence, one must ensure that a proper and effective
watch is kept while at anchor and that proper contingency plan is
set in place to deal with situations such as dragging anchor.

SLIPPING A CABLE:
It is an emergency procedure where by the cable is detached at its inner
end and both, the anchor and the cable are cast off into the sea. It is
generally intended that they are to be recovered at a subsequent
time. It is mainly done when it is practically impossible to heave up the
anchor. Slipping the cable from the deck by opening one of the
intermediate shackles is unsafe and hence, slipping is always done
from the bitter end.

(1) Slipping from Bitter end

 By this method, the entire cable will run out.

 The chain end (bitter end) is secured to a strong point in the chain
locker in one of many ways. It has an arrangement that
incorporates means for emergency release, which can be
released from the forepeak store without requiring any person
to enter the chain locker.
 This is usually accessible from the forecastle store and a sledge
hammer is provided for the bitter end pin to be taken out. It will
be marked as ‘Bitter end release’ and whether port or stbd
anchor.
 As the bitter end pin is removed, the chain end is no more
secured to the vessel and once the brakes are released, the
chain will run out fully under its own weight.
 The cable should be buoyed in order to effect later recovery.

(2) Slipping from the deck

 Lower or heave the cable until a shackle is situated near the
hawse pipe upper lip. A 20-24mm wire rope is passed through
the cable forward of the shackle and both ends hove taut and
made fast preferably on separate bitts.
 The cable is now eased to the wire hawser and then broken.
This is time consuming process and hence, slipping is always
 done from the bitter end.

 The problem now arises as to how to slip the wire. First, the
engines should be worked ahead so that the cable is up
and down and bearing the minimum of stress, only its own
weight in fact.
 Then, the wire can then be surged off one set of bitts until it runs
free or the wire can be cut at the hawse pipe lip using a fire axe.
While doing the latter, the inbound end of the wire will leap aft
when it is cut through, and to avoid injury, chain stoppers must
be used on each part of the wire.
 The end of the cable should be buoyed to effect later recovery.

FOUL ANCHOR:
Foul anchor is an anchor which is caught in an underwater cable, or
which has brought old hawsers to the surface with it, or which is fouled
by its own cable.

When Fouled By Under Water Obstruction.

 Vessel is moved ahead under engines, paying out cable until it
grows well astern. When the vessel is brought upto with the
cable growing astern and the cable is taut, work the engines
ahead slowly and see if the cable breaks out slowly.
 In case it does not break out then steer the vessel slowly in an
arc towards the anchor and try to rotate the anchor and
break it out by constant movement.
 If still unsuccessful, then try the above procedures using astern
movements.
 If still not successful, then rig up an anchor buoy and slip
cable for later recovery.

When Fouled With Wire Cable, etc

 Anchor and the fouling must be hove well up into the hawse pipe.
 A fiber rope must be passed around the obstruction and both
ends of the rope must be heaved taut and made fast on the
forecastle deck.
  The anchor must now be walked back until it is clear of the obstruction.
 The anchor must then be heaved into the hawse pipe.
 The obstruction which is now clear of the anchor can be released
by slipping the fiber rope.
In case of Foul Hawse
 Foul hawse is when both anchors are out and the cables are
entwined or crossed.
 The object of this operation is to remove the foul turns in the
two anchor cables caused by the vessel turning with the tide
change continually in the same direction. It is a lengthy
operation & should be started as soon as the vessel has swung
and is riding at her new position. This will provide a 6-hour interval
before the tide turns again & the vessel assumes another position.
 To this end, all preparatory work should be carried out before
the vessel swings. That means the gear necessary for this `
operation should be made ready at slack water.
 Gears will include 20-25mm slack wires, a smaller wire about
10mm or fiber rope, a boatswain's chair and equipments for
breaking joining shackles.
 The foul hawse is cleared by unshackling the sleeping cable and
passing the end round the riding cable.

1. Heave on both
cables to bring the
foul turns above
water and lash
both cables
together below
the turns with a
natural fibre
lashing that can
be easily cut later.
 Pass a wire preventer (25mm wire) around the sleeping cable down from the
turns. This will reduce the weight on the turns and help to secure the
sleeping cable if at all the end is lost.
Walk back on the sleeping cable to bring the next joining shackle
forward of the windlass. Rig a temporary easing wire (25mm
wire) at a point forward of the joining shackle so that it can take
the weight of the sleeping cable when the joining shackle is
broken.
2. Sleeping cable is then unshackled on the deck.
3. A wire messenger (25mm wire) is then passed down through the
hawse pipe, dipped around the riding cable, and returned to the
forecastle deck. One inboard end is secured to the end of the
sleeping cable and the other end to the wrapping drum.
4. The messenger is hove and the easing wire is eased
simultaneously, thus removing a half turn from the fouled cables.
The same procedure must be followed to remove the remaining
turns.
5. When the cables are cleared, heave up the end of the sleeping cable & re-join
it.
6. The preventer wire should be slipped and cleared and the fiber
rope lashing should be cut or burnt away.
7. Both cables must then be heaved picking up on any slack.

 Prior to breaking and dipping cable end to clear a foul hawse,

masters should attempt to steam around cables or employ a tug to
push the vessel around in opposition to the foul turns in the
cables.