SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHILE ATTENDING TO THE 'ANCHORING STATION'

 RISK ASSESSMENT MUST BE CARRIED OUT AND ANCHORING PLAN PREPARED

AS PER DEPTH AND DRAFT AND SEA ROOM AND INTENDED ANCHORING
POSITION.
 BEFORE USING AN ANCHOR, CHECK BRAKES ARE SECURELY ON AND THEN
REMOVE VOYAGE SECURING DEVICES.

 ADEQUATE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM TO BE IN PLACE WITH THE BRIDGE.

 STAND CLEAR OF THE WINDLASS WHEN IN OPERATION.

 CHECK NO SMALL CRAFT BELOW THE BOW OF THE SHIP BEFORE LETTING
GO ANCHOR.

 ANCHORING PARTY MUST WEAR APPROPRIATE SAFETY CLOTHING INCLUDING

GOGGLES TO PREVENT INJURY FROM DIRT PARTICLES WHICH MAY BE
THROWN OFF DURING LETTING GO ANCHOR
 IF ON RELEASING THE BRAKE THE CABLE DOES NOT RUN, NO ATTEMPT
SHOULD BE MADE TO SHAKE THE CABLE.

 BRAKE SHOULD BE REAPPLIED, THE CABLE SHOULD BE PUT IN GEAR AND

THEN WORKED UP AND DOWN TO LOOSEN THE CABLE.
 IF THE CABLE STILL GIVES PROBLEMS, USE THE OTHER ANCHOR.

Attending to the 'Anchoring Station'

Anchoring and Weighing Anchor
1 Before using an anchor a competent seafarer should check that the brakes are securely on and then clear
voyage securing devices. A responsible person should be in charge of the anchoring team, with an
adequate communications system with the vessel’s bridge. The anchoring party should
wear appropriate safety clothing - safety helmets, safety shoes and goggles as a minimum protection from
injury from dirt, rust particles and debris which may be thrown off during the operation. Wherever
possible, they should stand aft of the windlass.
2 Where the means of communication between bridge and anchoring party is by portable radio, the
identification of the ship should be clear to avoid misinterpretation of instructions from other users of
such equipment.
3 Before anchors are let go, a check should be made that no small craft or other obstacle is under the bow.
As a safety precaution it is recommended that the anchor is ‘walked out’ clear of the pipe before letting
go. For very large ships with heavy anchors and cables, the anchor should be
walked out all the way to avoid excessive strain on the brakes (and on the bitter end if the brakes fail to
stop the anchor and chain).
4 Where the anchor is let go from the stowed position, if upon release of the brake, the anchor does not
run, personnel should NOT attempt to shake the cable, but the brake should be re-applied, the windlass
placed in gear, and the anchor walked out clear prior to release.
5 Cable should stow automatically. If, for any reason, it is necessary for
personnel to enter the cable locker, they should stand in a protected position and, as far as possible, have
constant communication with the windlass operator.
6 Anchors housed and not required should be properly secured to prevent accidental release.
 SAFE ANCHORING
Anchoring is one of the many important operations coming 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.

Communication

Proper and efficient communication between the bridge and the anchor station is the most important
aspect of anchoring operations. The deck officer in charge should be thoroughly familiarised with the
reporting procedures. While anchoring, it is as significant as to give clear commands to the crew
members as it is to receive the same from the Master. It is also essential to update the status of the
operation to the bridge, from time to time. Before starting the operation, the officer must be clear on:
1. The anchor to be used (Port or Starboard)
2. How many shackles are to be lowered?
3. How the anchor should be lowered (letting go or walking on gear)

 Ring (Shackle) - Device used to attach the anchor chain to the shank of the anchor. The ring is
secured to the top of the shank with a riveted pin.
 Shank - The long center part of the anchor running between the ring and the crown.
 Crown - The lower section of the anchor to which the shank is secured. The shank is fitted to the
crown with (on some anchors) a pivot or ball-and-socket joint that allows a movement from 30o to
45o either way.
 Stock - a cross member, spar, or rod that rolls the anchor into an attitude that enables the flukes to
dig into the sea bed. Most new anchors are stockless.
 Arms - The parts that extend from each side of the crown.
 Throat - The inner part of an arm where it joins the shank.
 Fluke or Palm - The broad shield part of the anchor that extends upward from the arms.
 Blade - That part of the arm extending outward below the fluke.
 Bill or Pea - Tip of the palm or fluke.

A super high holding power anchor is an anchor with a holding power of at least four times that of an
ordinary stockless anchor of the same mass. A super high holding power anchor is suitable for
restricted service vessels’ use and does not require prior adjustment or special placement on the sea bed
Basically the ship anchor chain arrangement consists of two parts - the anchor and the chain.. The
exact shape and size of the anchor would vary depending on the size and type of ship. The anchor
chain is made out of heavy metal links and it holds the anchor at one end, while the other end is
fastened to the ship’s bitter end in the chain locker
 Needs of an anchor/anchoring a ship
A ship has all the controls and automation but she is quite helpless when it comes to the simple concept
of braking. There are no brakes on a ship and an anchor is used to hold it from drifting astray
The anchoring is intended for temporary mooring of a vessel within a harbor or sheltered area when the
vessel is awaiting berth, tide, etc.

The anchoring equipment is designed to hold a ship in good holding ground in conditions such as to
avoid dragging of the anchor. In poor holding ground the holding power of the anchors will be
significantly reduced
Parts of Windlass
Kenter Joining Shackles A kenter joining-shackle is made to join two lengths of chain and to fit in the
gypsy (chain-wheel).

A Swivel-
A swivel allows for free rotation at any connection. A swivel fitted at the end of a wire or a cable will
help remove any kinks or twist in the cable or wire. For example cargo lifting hook anchor cables etc.
The swivel fitted on the anchor cable will prevent it from twisting when the ship is at anchor.

Q.4. Write the meaning and usages of following Cable , Link, Joining Shackle, Shackle as a term
shackle as a joining link Bitter end Anchor a cock bill Anchor aweigh clear hawse, Foul anchor ,
dragging anchor, long stay, short stay, up and down to veer cable weighing anchor yawing brought up
to three in water dragging anchor , four on deck
ANCHOR TERMINOLOGY
1) ANCHOR BUOY:
A BUOY USED TO INDICATE THE POSITION OF THESHIPS ANCHOR WHEN ON THE
BOTTOM.
2) GYPSY:
THE VERTICAL WHEEL ON THE WINDLASS WHICH THECABLE PASSES OVER. THE CABLE
IS HELD IN THE SEGMENTS OF THEWHEEL KNOWN AS THE ‘SNUG’. THE GYPSY IS HELD
BY THE CLUCH-PLATE WHEN IN GEAR OR BY THE BRAKE WHEN ABOUT TO BE LETGO.
3) HAWSE PIPES:
WHEN TWO PIPES ON EITHER BOW WHICHACCOMODATES THE BOW ANCHORS. SOME
VESSELS WILL BEEQUIPPED WITH A STERN ANCHOR. THE TERM HAWSE PIPE IS
INGENERAL USE FOR THE STOWAGE SPACE FOR THE ANCHORS OF AVESSEL.
4) JOGGLE SHACKLE:
MAY BE DESCRIBED AS A LONG BENTSHACKLE, USED FOR HAULING CABLE ROUND THE
BOW. SOMETIMESENCOUNTERED WHEN CLEARING A FOUL HAWSE OR OTHER
SIMILAR OPERATION IN MOVING OF THE CABLE.
5) SPURLING PIPES:
TERMED NAVAL PIPESIN THE ROYAL NAVY, THECABLE PASSES FROM THESE PIPES
THROUGH THE WINDLASS OR CABLE HOLDER TO THE CABLE LOCKER.
6) ANCHOR A-COCKBILL:
WHEN THE ANCHOR IS HANGINGVERTICALLY FROM THE HAWSEPIPE, WITH THE FLUKES
TURNEDINTO THE SHIPS SIDE. IN THIS POSITION IT WILL NOT STOWCORRECTLY IN THE
HAWSE PIPE.
7) ANCHOR AWEIGH:
THE ANCHOR IS SAID TO BE AWEIGH THEMOMENT IT IS BROKEN OUT OF THE GROUND
AND CLEAR OF THESEA BED.
8) ANCHOR COMING HOME:
WHEN THE ANCHOR IS BEING DRAWNTOWARDS THE SHIP IN THE OPERATION OF
HEAVING AWAY, BYMEANS OF THE WINDLASS OR THE CABLE HOLDER/CAPSTAN,
THEANCHOR IS SAID TO BE COMING HOME. INSTEAD OF THE SHIP BEINGDRAWN
TOWARDS THE ANCHOR, THE REVERSE IS HAPPENING.
9) ANCHOR DRAGGING:
THE ANCHOR IS SAID TO BE DRAGGING WHENIT IS NOT HELD IN THE SEA BED. IT IS SAID
TO BITE WELL WHEN ITHAS A GOOD HOLD IN THE GROUND. THE VESSEL IS
DRAGGINGANCHOR IF SHE MNOVES HER POSITION WHILE DRAGGING THEANCHOR
OVER THE SEA BED.
The anchor in a large ship is actually to prevent drag. The chain weight is the holding power, the anchor
is to prevent the chain from dragging too much. If it starts to drag the flukes dig in and prevent sliding of
the chain.
It takes both parts. You want the anchor to go down to the pivot point of the anchorage. Then the chain
gets laid out in a straight line. As the tide, currents, winds change the anchor is supposed to stay in place
and the chain will slowly pivot/drag around it.
So if you plot a ship at anchor on a map, the anchor point is the middle, the length of chain played out is
the radius and the ship would be on the circumference of the circle. The swing of the ship is plotted and if
the ships position goes outside of the "circle" it means the anchor is dragging.

Drag Circle

Anchor Chain

Anchor Location

Swing Circle

10) BROUGHT UP:

A VESSEL IS SAID TO BE BROUGHT UP WHEN HER WAY HAS STOPPED AND SHE IS RIDING
TO HER ANCHOR, WITH HER ANCHOR HOLDING.THE TERM ‘COME TO’ AND ‘GOT HER
CABLE’ ARESOMETIMES SAID TO BE THE SAME THING. THE OFFICER IN CHARGEOF THE
ANCHOR PARTY WILL KNOW WHEN THE VESSEL IS BROUGHTUP, BY THE CABLE RISING
UP FROM THE SURFACE TOWARDS THEHAWSE PIPE WHEN THE BRAKE IS HOLDING IT.
THE VESSEL SHOULDTHEN MOVE TOWARDS THE ANCHOR, CAUSING THE CABLE TO
DROPBACK AND MAKE A CATENARY.

11) DROP AN ANCHOR UNDERFOOT: LETTING AN ANCHOR GO TO THEBOTTOM, THEN

HOLDINGON TO THE BRAKE. THIS IS SOMETIMESDON’T TO STEADY THE SHIPS HEAD
AND PREVENT HER FROMYAWING ABOUT WHEN LYING TO A SINGLE ANCHOR. CARE
MUST BETAKEN IN THIS OPERATION THAT THE SECOND ANCHOR IS LET GOWHEN THE
RIDING CABLE IS GROWING RIGHT AHEAD AND NOTWHEN IT LEADS OFF THE BOW.
12) FOUL ANCHOR: THE TERM USED TO DESCRIBE THE ANCHOR WHENIT HAS BECOME
CAUGHT ON AN UNDERWATER OBSTRUCTION. THEFLUKES OF THE ANCHOR OFTEN GET
FOULED BY AN OLD HAWSER OR CABLE, OBSTRUCTING ITS NORMAL USE.

13)FOUL HAWSE: THIS TERM IS USED TO DESCRIBE THE CROSSING OFTHE ANCHOR
CABLES, WHEN BOTH CABLES ARE BEIBNG USED ATTHE SAME TIME, AS WITH A
RUNNING STANDING OR OPEN MOOR,OWING TO THE UNCONTROLLED SWINGING OF
THE VESSEL WHEN ANCHORED WITH BOTH ANCHORS

14) GROW: THE CABLE IS SAID TO GROW WHEN THE EXPOSED PART OFTHE CHAIN
ABOVE THE SURFACE, IS SEEN TO EXPAND TOWARDS THEANCHOR.
15) LONG STAY: THE TERM APPLICABLE WHEN THE CABLE IS LEADINGDOWN TO THE
WATER CLOSE TO THE HORIZONTAL, WITH THEWEIGHT ON IT. A GOOD LENGTH OF THE
CABLE IS EXPOSED.
16) RENDER CABLE:TO APPLY THE BRAKE LIGHTLY SO THAT WHENWEIGHT COMES ON
THE CABLE IT WILL RUN OUT SLOWLY.

17) SHACKLE OF CABLE:

THE LENGTH OF A SHACKLE OF CABLE IS 15FATHOMS ( 90 FEET OR 27.5 MTS). IT IS
DEFINED BY A LENGTH OFCABLE BETWEEN THE JOINING SHACKLES.
18) SHORTEN CABLE: TO HEAVE IN, A PORTION OF THE CABLE SO ASTO REDUCE THE
SCOPE.
19) SHORT STAY: THE CABLE IS SAID TO BE SHORT STAY WHEN THEANCHOR IS HOVE IN
CLOSE TO THE SHIPS SIDE AND NOT OVER EXTENDED. THE CABLE IS NOT UP AND DOWN
IN THAT POSITION.
20) SNUB:TO SNUB THE CABLE IS TO STOP THE CABLE RUNNING OUT BYAPPLYING THE
BRAKE. A VESSEL IS SAID TO SNUB ROUND ON HER ANCHOR WHEN SHE CHECKS THE
PAYING OUT OF THE CABLE BYAPPLYING THE BRAKE ON THE WINDLASS, SO CAUSING
THE CABLETO ACT AS A SPRING, TURNING THE BOW SMARTLY IN THEDIRECTION OF THE
CABLE.

21) SURGE:TO ALLOW THE CABLE OR HAWSER TO RUN OUT UNDER ITSOWN WEIGHT.
THE TERM IS OFTEN USED WHEN HANDLING MOORINGROPES ON DRUM ENDS.(YOU
SHOULD NOT SURGE ON MAN-FIBREROPE, BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAT /
FRICTION CAUSING THE STRANDS TO FUSE.)
22) UP & DOWN: THE CABLE IS SAID TO BE UP & DOWN WHEN THEANGLE THE CABLE
MAKES WITH THE WATER SURFACE IS 90o, USUALLY JUST BEFORE ANCHOR AWEIGH.
23) VEER CABLE: TO PAY OUT CABLE UNDER POWER, BY WALKINGBACK THE GYPSY OF
THE WINDLASS.
24) WALK BACK THE ANCHOR: TO LOWER THE ANCHOR UNDER POWER.
25) CHAIN HOOK: A LONG IRON HOOK USED FOR MANHANDLING OFCABLE LINKS.
26) Yaw: -A vessel is said to be yaw when at anchor she moves to port and starboard of the anchor
position under the influnes of wind and current or tides
27) SCOPE: - is the name given to the amount of cable paid out from the hawse pipe to the anchor crown
d shackle
28. Anchor Aweigh
The anchor is said to be aweigh when it is immediately clear of the bottom
29. Weighing Anchor
The sequence of events culminating in heaving in the cable until the anchor is broken out of the bottom
30.Devil’s claw: it is with bottle screw nut which is used to stop the cable from running out.
Q.5. Explain the method of securing the anchor for sea
On completion of weighing anchor, once the anchor is housed in the hawse pipe, and it is secured the
Bow stopper must be firmly closed hawse pipe bonnet cover closed. The anchor must be drawn taut in the
hawse- pipe by the outboard stopper to prevent the flukes from banging the sides. Stoppers/devils claw
are attached to the chain by straddling a link with the tongue and strong back of the pelican hook. The
bail is then closed on the pelican hook. The turn buckles must be adjusted so each stopper will take an
equal strain. The suprling pipe use be closed and water tight cemented
The Windlass brakes are firmly applied and all lever disengaged power supply is switched off all
equipment which were used for anchoring are stored back /returned to their usual stowage place
If heavy weather is expected extra lashing are taken

Q.6. State the necessity and methods of covering spurling pipe

The spurling pipe needs to covered and made water tight to avoid /stop ingress of rain or sea water during
rough weather
Spurling pipe must be sealed either using steel plates some time hinged then it needs to be closed a
canvas which put over the steel plate and then it is covered with cement
Alternatively in lieu of metal plates, wooden strips may be used, then pudding plugs made up of rags or
cotton waste, should be forced in to the aperture of the spurling pipe , cements mix of 4 part sand to 1
part cement should be pounded over the pudding ,about the anchor cable
This cement cover should of such thickness that any movement of the anchor cable in the spurling pipe
would not cause the anchor cement to break
The purpose of pudding is to stop the cement from dropping through to the cable locker and also give it
something to set on
Q.7.Explain the necessity and methods of marking anchor chain cable
It is important to know how much cable has been paid out in to the water during anchoring, for this
purpose each joining shackle is identified by a different colour (RED) and corresponding either side links
of the joining shackles are painted white, also the corresponding to the no of shackles the link stud will be
seized with a wire example

Marking of cable: -

Q.8. State Use of chain hook: -

Chain hook is used for handling of anchor chain cable or for ranging the cable.

Q.9. Prepare the anchor ready for letting go

Preparation for Anchoring
The Chief Officer (or another experienced officer in lieu) must supervise letting go or weighing the
anchors and should only assign experienced crew members to anchor work.
Prior to Anchoring, the Chief Officer should be aware of:
a. Approximate anchoring position
b. Method of approach
c. Which anchor to use
d. Depth of water
e. Method of Anchoring
f. Final amount of Cables

Procedure of the Introduction to Anchoring

At the Forecastle:
Check brakes are on and clear the voyage securing devices
(Anchor Lashings, Bow Compressed Bar etc.)
a. Start Hydraulic (Source of) Power of Windlasses
b. Check Anchor Shape / Light
c. Check Communication with the Bridge
d. Check Lighting on Forecastle including torch, at night time
e. Ensure all personnel are wearing Safety Helmets, Safety Shoes and Goggles.
Before Letting Go Anchor:
The Chief Officer shall confirm that there is no craft or any obstacle under the bow and inform to the
Bridge.
The Master shall ensure that the vessels GPS speed at the time of anchoring is near-zero or indicates a
slight sternway.
The speed should be verified by visual transits and/or Radar ranges of Landmarks, if available or other
fix conspicuous targets.
Where means of communication between Bridge and the Anchoring party is by Portable radio, the
identification of the ship should be clear to avoid misinterpretation of instructions from other user of such
equipment in the vicinity.

Routine Anchoring Operation

a. Walk out the anchor to Half a shackle above the sea bottom
b. Hold the cable on the brake and take the windlass out of gear
c. Stop the vessel over ground
d. Drop the anchor
e. Control the speed of cable flow by the brake, while not allowing pile-up
f. Bring anchor cable direction forward and confirmed anchor holds its position.

Brought-up anchor
The status of brought-up anchor should be confirmed as holding chains by windlass brake after drawn out
required length of chains.
Communication between commander in wheel house and bow anchor watchmen

It is preferable to report as "XX shackles in the water" in order for the master to easily visualize Length
of chains being in the water and can estimate timing of touching anchor with bottom.
Both master and officer in charge must acknowledge the no of shackles when taking account length of
cable.

e) Anchor chain direction and tightness after bottom touch

Report shall be combination of following factor

For Horizontal direction:

"clockwise" and "straight down" (or upright)

For Vertical direction :

"as Long hand (of the clock)"

"as Short hand (of the clock) "

For Tightness :
"Strong tight", "Moderate tight, " and "Slack"

Ex. Chain - 2 o'clock - as short hand - with moderate tight

The clock system is literally think of the anchor chain like a hour hand and N (bow of ship), E
(starboard), S (stern of ship) and W (port) as the 12, 3, 6, 9 hours. Now if you are lowering the starboard
anchor you are ideally looking for the chain to rest between 12 and 2 o'clock. This tells you the anchor is
in a good position relative.

The anchor chain on the seabed should be forward of the ship and as close to horizontal on the floor as
possible to ensure maximum hold (rather than in a big pile on top of each other). If the chain is at 6
o'clock the captain would need to go astern to pull it to a more 12 o' clock position. If the anchor was at 9
o' clock the anchor chain would be running from starboard to port side under your hull. Again this is not
what you want so the captain would have to re-adjust to bring it to a more 12 o'clock position. The
opposite would be true if you were lowering you're port anchor.

On top of this you tell the bridge if the anchor chain is loose or tight by visual inspection, you want it
fairly tight as this indicates a good hold. You also tell the bridge if the anchor is dragging, this can usually
be seen by the chain vibrating or visually the ship moving with the current. Hope this helps! I've not been
at sea for a while so hope I've not omitted too many procedures.

Clock System
From the Hawse Pipe right ahead in the same fore & aft line of the vessel is 12 o'clock. From the hawse
pipe at 90 degrees to the f&a line of the vessel is 3 O'clock/9 O'clock depending. Fill in the blanks from
there.
Other systems can be used to indicate direction. Points, Red/Green + degrees. Use whatever you're
comfortable with, clock system is easy and crosses cultural barriers most easily, imo.
The clock system relates to direction only.

Cable Stay
The weight on the cable is usually communicated as 'stay'. If there is no weight/pull on the cable, the
cable will be going directly down into the water from the hawse pipe, and so will be communicated as 'up
and down'. As the Weight/pull on the cable increases, the anchor will start to lead in a direction (use the
clock system) and the anchor will start to develop and angle at which it enters the water. For small angles
it is a short stay, a bit bigger it becomes medium stay, and if the angle has developed quite a large angle
with the waterline, so that it enters the water quite some distance from the hawse pipe, that is a long stay.

In terms of what to report - imagine being the old man on the bridge, what would you want to know? I
tend to report each shackle (if I see them: P), the lead (direction & weight), as well as passing on if a lead
starts to develop from the up and down position, if the cable starts to lead astern (between 3 and 9
o'clock), if the cable is leading over/under the bulbous bow. If in doubt, tell the bridge exactly what you
can see, you are unlikely to come awry doing that, and as experience grows, you will know what is
important and what isn't.

7.1. Safety Precautions while Anchoring and Weighing Anchor

1. Be sure the brake is tightly home and the gears eased before taking the windlass out of gear.
2. Do not leave the windlass in gear.
3. Wear goggles when letting go the anchor.
4. Never go in the chain locker to stow the cable.
5. Do not use chain hooks in the chain locker
6. See that the spurling pipes are made properly weather tight.
7. Safety Personal Protective Equipment for anchor work.
8. All personnel involved in anchor work must wear full sleeves boiler suits fully buttoned up, Hand
gloves, safety shoes and eye protection during the anchoring procedures.
9. The OOW must be in constant communication with the bridge with a walkie talkie.
10. Adequate lighting must be requested from the bridge if possible and a torch or adequate source of
localized lighting must be available during hours of darkness.

Preparation for Anchoring

Once the officer receives the command to prepare for anchoring, he must check on the following points:-

1. Presence of crew members wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for assisting the
anchor station
2. Confirming the anchor used for the operation (Port or Starboard)
3. The anchor lashings and bow stopper are removed prior commencing the operations
4. When using hydraulic windlass, make sure the pumps are started prior operation
5. Check the working of Windlass and its controls
6. If bow thrusters are likely to be used during anchoring, ensure that the required ventilations are open
7. Anchor day signal (ball) is ready for hoisting after terminating the operation.
8. Walkie-talkies radios to be checked
9. Ensure that ship sides are clear of obstructions

Operation

Anchoring operations are of 2 distinct types.

a. ‘Letting go’ (dropping the anchor)
b. Heaving up (picking up the anchor)
In either case, the deck officer has 3 main responsibilities.

1. Operation of the Windlass

Normally, the operation of windlass is done remotely from the controls. It is best preferred that
the windlass operation is carried out by the deck officer, provided the controls are positioned near the
ship’s side or in such position that he can keep a look at the anchor and its chain while operating the
controls. Otherwise, it is preferred to assign the duty to a skilled seaman guided with clear instructions.

2. Visually checking the anchor and its chain

As the officer is in charge of reporting the position and stay of the anchor and its chain, it is
recommended to keep a visual check on the same by himself. Any uncertainties or out of ordinary action
observed during the anchoring should be reported to the Master in no time.

3. Keeping a track on how many shackles are lowered

Tracking the number of shackles lowered is done by visually observing the ‘kenter’ shackle of the chain.
Kenter shackle is bigger in size and is usually marked in different colour patterns or numbers for easy
sighting. In modern ships, the length of the chain below the hawse pipe is digitally displayed on the
control panel, however it is better to have a visual check than to rely on it. If the officer is operating the
windlass, a crew member can be assigned for the duty.

Remember – 1 shackle is 27.5 meters.

Reporting

Reporting is another vital duty of the deck officer in charge of the anchoring operations.

The duty officer acts as the eye of the Master in anchoring; hence every single status of the operation
should be updated to the Master. The most significant factors to be reported are:-

1. Anchor position

While anchoring operations are underway, the anchor-chain position is a matter of high concern. The
positions are reported normally in

a. Clock format – Considering the bulb as 12’o clock, the position to be reported with reference from the
bulb. The positions on starboard side will be 1’o clock, 2’o clock etc. and port side will start from 11′ o
clock

b. Cardinal Points – Reporting using the points system with every point 11.25 degrees. Example – 2
points on starboard bow.

Chain Stay

Along with the Position, the stay of the chain is also to be reported. Stay of the chain is the tendency of
its movement. While reporting the following terms are to be used for the respective observations.

a. Short stay – when the chain is leading in a short range from the ship’s side.

b. Medium stay- When the chain is leading in a medium range from the ship’s side.

c. Long stay- When the chain is leading in a longer range from the ship’s side extending from the hawse
pipe.
d. Up and Down – When the chain is vertically leading parallel to the ship’s side. It will not extend and
will be leading vertically downwards from the hawse pipe to the seabed.

Example of reporting – Position 2’o clock, long stay.

Different officers have different reporting styles. It is good to use the way an individual is comfortable
with, as long as the Master and the rest of the anchoring team is clearly able to understand.

In normal cases, while letting go the anchor, the chain needs to be stretched out for the anchor to hold the
vessel. After dropping the anchor, the chain stay will be longer. When the anchor is holding to the seabed
and the chain is settling down, the stay comes gradually to medium and then to a short range. Finally the
chain will go up and down which means the anchor is holding and the chain is settled down.

Safety

The deck officer in charge is responsible for the safety of the equipment and the crew members involved
in the anchoring operation. The officer has to watch out for himself and his crew during the operation.
Unsafe practices should be corrected and the officer should be able to lead the crew and guide them on
doing the operation safely. Regarding safety, the following points should be noted

Use of proper PPE including safety helmet, gloves, goggles, and ear muffs (if needed)

b. While checking the anchor and its chain, find the apt position from where you can observe the anchor
and avoid leaning over from the ship’s side.

c. While letting go the anchor, stay well clear from the windlass

d. While lowering/heaving the anchor on gear, do it in a gradual speed and avoid sudden and repeated
alteration of the speed of windlass and its direction of movement

Anchoring is a crucial and highly practical operation. 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.