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How to know if the anchor is

dragging ?
Written by Capt Rajeev Jassal on August 19, 2017

Provided the ship has enough provision, water and fuel,

everybody loves time at Anchorage.
Right?

We all love having the opportunity for a breather from the

continuous cycle of loading, unloading and everything in
between.

Even the environment on the wheelhouse is bit relaxed while

the ship is at anchor.

But it is not unusual that the wind speed would start to

increase, or for a nearby ship to drag her anchor or even
own ship start to drag anchor.

The relaxed environment might become hair-raising,

unexciting and spine chilling.

So let us face it. Keeping an anchor watch is only easy until

everything is fine and the anchor is holding.

But that is not true if you know the signs to looks for to
determine if the anchor is dragging.

Early detection of the dragging anchor situation can save a

lot of trouble.

In this post, I will discuss the indications to look for to get an

early warning of the ship dragging its anchor.

Let us jump in.

Anchoring a ship

The first thing that we need to know for keeping a good

anchor watch is the position of the anchor.
And there is only one way to know this position.

By noting down the position of the ship when the anchor is

dropped.

In the case of anchoring in deeper waters where anchor will

be lowered with gear, it is the position of the ship when the
anchor touches the sea bed.

It is the duty of the officer on watch during anchoring to note

down this position.

It is good practice to note down this position along with the

time of “let go anchor” in the movement book.
Another thing that we need to do is press the MOB button on
the GPS when the anchor is dropped.
This will automatically save the position at the time of
pressing the MOB button (anchored time). Usually,
this position is saved as WP 999.

Swinging circle of the ship

Once we have the anchor position, we need to know

the swinging circle of the ship while the ship will be at
anchor.
This is important because no matter in which direction the
ship swings, it will never go out of the swinging circle if the
anchor is holding.

If the ship goes out of the swinging circle, the ship’s anchor
is dragging.

Compare this with a cow tethered to a post. The cow can

only swing on a circle with radius equal to the length of the
rope she is tied to.

She can only go out of this circle when the rope has left the
post.

Now coming back to the ship, the ship’s swinging circle at

anchor is approximately equal to

distance from ship’s wheelhouse to forecastle + length of the

anchor chain paid
This is the approximate swinging circle as the 2nd distance is
not exactly the length of the anchor chain.

But believe me, you do not want to be accurate to a couple

of meters as you won’t be able to measure the movement of
your ship to that accuracy.

For example, considering a ship anchored in a depth of 30

meters with 5 shackles on deck, the error in the swinging
circle (with the simple formula above) will be only 3 meters.
So now let us take an example to calculate swinging circle of
the ship.

Let us say the distance from bridge wing to the forecastle is

150 meters. The ship is anchored with 5 shackles on deck.

So the swinging circle, in this case, would be

Swinging circle = 150 meters + (5 x 27.5) meters

This gives us swinging circle of 287.5 meters.

Now we want this to be in nautical miles. So divide this value

by 1852 (1 Nautical mile = 1852 meters).

This gives us the swinging circle of 0.155 NM.

Importance of Anchor Alarm

I often ask this question on board to the duty officers. How

would you know if the anchor is dragging?

And I often hear this answer, if the bearings (and range) of

the fixed object changes, this would mean that we are
dragging anchor.

While there is no doubt that this is one of the ways but this is
not the answer I  look for.

Why?

Duty officer would usually check the bearings once every

hour.

So if anchor starts to drag at 2010 Hrs LT, the duty officer

would only know about the dragging anchor at 2100 hrs LT
when he would check the bearings.

We all want something to nudge us just when anchor starts

to drag.

An alarm is the best way to get nudged.

So when I ask the duty officer, “How would you know if the
anchor is dragging?”, I expect to hear this.
I will be warned by the anchor alarm that I have set and
then I will confirm with the bearing of the fixed objects if the
anchor is really dragging.

How to set the anchor alarm

Having an alarm warn you if the ship goes out of the

swinging circle is good. But we must know how and where to
set that alarm.

The anchor alarm needs to be set in the GPS.

To set the alarm, first, we need to press “GO TO” on the GPS
and then choose the waypoint 999 that we had created by
pressing the MOB button at the time of dropping the anchor.

This will give us the ship’s distance (Range) from the

anchored position.
If this range becomes more than the swinging circle of the
ship, the ship’s anchor may be dragging as then the ship is
out of the swinging circle.

But for the GPS to give us the alarm when the range to WP
999 becomes more than swinging circle, we need to

 Set the swinging circle value, and

 Turn on the anchor alarm

To do that we can go to the alarm settings on the GPS, turn

on the anchor alarm and set the alarm range.
Mistakes to avoid while setting up the anchor
alarm

While setting up the anchor alarm may seem simple (which

surely it is), we sometimes make simple mistakes in this.

I do not want to list here the mistakes like alarm volume

being too low etc. What I want to highlight is to test the
alarm.
So if the actual range (to WP 999) is 0.13 NM, we should first
set the alarm to less than this value (Say 0.09NM) and then
see if the alarm sounds.

If it sounds, everything is alright.

We can then change the alarm range to the actual swinging

circle we have calculated after anchoring.

Another mistake I often see officers making is to set

the anchor watch on ECDIS without testing it.
On ECDIS the swinging circle and anchor watch can be set.

But not all the ECDIS give the audible alarm if the ship goes
out of the swinging circle. Instead, these would just give a
visual warning on the ECDIS.

So if we want to use the anchor watch function of the ECDIS,

  it must be used as a supplement to the GPS anchor
alarm, and

 We must know if in case vessel goes out of swinging

circle, the ECDIS would give the audible alarm  or not

Ship position by bearings of fixed objects

By setting the anchor alarm we are making good use of

available electronic aids.

But if possible, the visual bearing of two objects (or two

points on the coast) is the best way to check the anchor
position.

The two objects or points on the coast must not be on the

same (or close to same) bearing lines. The bearings of these
two objects must be separated by a significant angle.
If available, these two fixed objects must be identified just
after anchoring. If possible, the master should discuss the
identifiable and conspicuous fixed objects with the duty
officer before handing over the command to the duty officer.

Once identified, the bearing of these two objects is taken at

least once every hour. If there is no significant change in
these two bearing, the ship is holding its position.

Record the bearings in the anchor log.

Use of radar for anchor watch

We have discussed so far how to use GPS and Gyro (Visual

bearings) to determine if the anchor is dragging.
Apart from that, the Radar is very useful equipment for
monitoring anchor positions.

For using the radar for anchor watch requires radar

conspicuous fixed objects. The presence of racon in the
vicinity makes it even easier.
Straight coast with no edges is not useful for radar bearing.

If the radar conspicuous objects (or coast line) is available,

bearing and range from this can be measured every hour.
  
Another way that I see navigators make use of is with the
EBL and VRM on the radar.
We can set the EBL and VRM on the radar and point it to the
fixed object that we want to take bearing and range from.

If the EBL and VRM stay right there on the fixed object, the
ship has not moved and the anchor is holding.
The good thing in this is that each time you have your eyes
on the radar screen, you can easily make out in a flash if the
ship is maintaining its position or not.

Ship’s speed as an indicator

Ship’s speed can be a good indicator of the dragging anchor.

A ship at anchor or when drifting will always head to the

resultant of all the external forces (the wind, current etc).

When the ship’s anchor is holding, its speed over ground

would be zero and speed through water will be equal to the
current of the water.

But when the ship’s anchor is dragging, she would be moving

with the flow of the current. In this case, ship’s will have
some speed over ground but the speed through water will
become close to zero.

So when the ship is dragging her anchor, she will have the

negative speed over ground (GPS speed).
So when we are trying to look for an indication of dragging
anchor, ship’s speed can be one of the things to keep an eye
on.

But this will not hold good when the ship is swinging due to
change of tide or wind direction.

When the ship is swinging, the GPS may show some speed.
Faster the ship swings, more speed the GPS will show.

In this case, GPS speed may not be the indicator of dragging

anchor. Just wait for the ship to steady its heading and then
observe if the ship has some speed.
Flag on the anchor chain

Not all seafarers use the practice of tying up a flag on the

anchor chain after anchoring.

And it is not a hard and fast rule to do that.

Let us understand the role of this flag.

There are two things we can do after anchoring.

 Rest the anchor chain on the bar, or

 Put the bar but keep it clear of the anchor chain

As per the mooring equipment guidelines, both methods

have its merits and demerits and anyone of these can be
used.
I prefer resting the chain on the bar.

If we choose to keep the anchor chain clear of the bar, it is

good practice to tie a flag to the anchor chain.

If the flag falls down, this means the anchor chain has
slipped and rested on the bar. This gives the indication that
there is a lot of weight on the anchor chain.

This could be the first indication that the anchor may drag or
is already dragging.
Watching the anchor chain

Watching the anchor chain in water is another way to know if

the anchor is dragging.

As the ship is falling back, anchor is expected to hold the

ship and stop it from falling back.

Ideally as the ship falls back, the anchor would stretch to the
maximum capacity. That is, anchor will have the long stay.

Now if the anchor is holding and once it is stretched out, it

will not allow the ship to fall back and will pull the ship
forward.

As the ship moves ahead, the weight on the anchor will ease
and finally rest at short stay.

But if the anchor is dragging, instead of pulling the ship

forward the anchor would loose the sea bed and become up
and down rapidly.

Ship will continue to fall back and anchor will again have the
long stay.

So If the anchor is dragging, the anchor will continue to

 Go to long stay
  Rapidly come to up and down; and

 Again to to long stay

So if you suspect the anchor is dragging, send someone

forward to watch the anchor chain.

If the anchor is behaving this way, you can think of that the
anchor is dragging.

Conclusion

Dragging anchor is not something a watch keeper desires but

it is something that may not be in control of the ship staff.

The anchor may sometimes drag.

Dragging anchor can lead to contact with other ship or

grounding of the ship.

But all this can be avoided if the watch keeper is alert and
knows about the indications of the dragging anchor situation.

Early identification is the key to avoid accident related to the

dragging anchor situations.

Anchor dragging is totally acceptable situation provided it

does not lead to an accident.
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About Capt Rajeev Jassal

Capt. Rajeev Jassal has sailed for over 19 years mainly on crude oil,
product and chemical tankers. He holds MBA in shipping & Logistics
degree from London. He has done extensive research on quantitatively
measuring Safety culture onboard and safety climate ashore which he
believes is the most important element for safer shipping.

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70 Comments
bhanu pratap 
Aug 22, 2017
Thank you sir...i love to read your blogs. It gives me lot of energy and
knowledge about my profession.
Reply

Rajeev Jassal 
Aug 27, 2017
Thank you, Bhanu. I feel a lot will change in shipping if we all share what
we know. I am just trying my bit.
Reply

Nithin Joseph 
Jul 9, 2019
Thank u very much sir... Ur blogs are excellent. U r describing all the
complicated topic in very simple manner... Excellent skill for teaching...
Keep moving sir...
Reply

tc 
Aug 23, 2017
off topic question: Where it is written that it is still allowed to enter in an
unsafe atmosphere with a ba set which bottle has lose 10% of the
pressure which corresponds with 1200 L( or at least) capacity of
compressed air?
Reply

Rajeev Jassal 
Oct 2, 2017
There are no such written rules... These rules and instructions need to be
defined by the company in their SMS.
Reply
Revjith S U 
Aug 27, 2017
Sir pls explain about dragging circle.
Reply

Revjith S U 
Aug 27, 2017
Sir pls can u help me to understand better about type of bed for good
anchoring ground. As i have read the article Sir you have suggested
anchoring in sand area is having more anchoring holding power. But how
anchor can hold Sir , if the sea bed is sand and anchor may not hold the
sea bed and anchor wil be dragging and shifting its anchor position.
Because i heard people saying sand area we should not anchor . pls
clarify me sir .
Reply

Rajeev Jassal 
Oct 2, 2017
Easier the anchor can embed into a surface, easier it will leave the
surface. If the anchor is somehow held into the rocky seabed, it will hold
the ship strongly but only thing is that it is not easy to for the anchor to
fit into the rocky seabed. Moreover, the anchor can get damaged. Mud is
easier seabed for the anchor to go in but the anchor will also leave the
surface easily. So Mud becomes relatively lesser holding ground. Sand lies
in between rock and Mud so is better holding ground. It is no as hard as
rock so anchor can easily go in and it is not as soft as Mud so the anchor
does not leave the sand seabed so easily. For more information read
this. The Ultimate Actionable Guide of Anchoring a Ship.
Reply

Eric 
Aug 28, 2017
Very well said Sir rajev!
Reply
Rajeev Jassal 
Oct 2, 2017
Thanks, Eric...
Reply

abu sharif 
Sep 6, 2017
All your ideas are wonderful....thanks
Reply

Rajeev Jassal 
Oct 2, 2017
Glad you liked it, Abu...
Reply

Mark Foai 
Sep 7, 2017
Thank you sir
Reply

Rajeev Jassal 
Oct 2, 2017
Thanks for reading Mark...
Reply

Avinash K 
Oct 15, 2017
Thank you very much,Sir! Your explanation is crystal clear as always. And
some very important tips as well.
Reply

Rajeev Jassal 
Nov 19, 2017
Glad you liked it Avinash...
Reply

Ephraim Evi 
Oct 29, 2017
This article is professional and can't easily be forgotten. thanks to you Sir.
Reply

Rajeev Jassal 
Nov 19, 2017
Thanks Ephraim...
Reply

Don Mc 
Nov 26, 2017
Dear capt., this question about anchoring is haunting me: should the
chain touch the chain stopper? Once a very senior capt. told me the chain
should touch the chain stopper, but all other masters told me there
should be a gap. I read the OCIMF "anchoring systems and procedures"
Page30-41 and from my understanding, the chain should touch the chain
stopper. can you shed some light on this question???
Reply

Joshua Gonzales 
Dec 12, 2017
Thank you kind sir
Reply

Abbas 
Dec 14, 2017
I always refer your blog and upgrade my knowledge.Thank you for
sharing your knowledge with us captaan Saab.Keep moving.
Reply

Cesar 
Dec 19, 2017
Sir good day. How are you. Sir it is necessary to get gyro error in
anchorage? Please reply. Thanks. Advance Merry Christmas to you and
your family. Rgrds. Cesar
Reply

Janith 
Dec 19, 2017
Thank u very much sir.i have many more questions .can u give some
descriptiin about ships log books and record books using on board.thank u
again
Reply

Sumeet Bose 
Jan 22, 2018
Sir i have a doubt regarding the anchor let go position , on the basis of
which all the calculation regarding the swinging circle is calculated . Firstly
the anchor let go position that we noted down in the movement book is
not the anchor position , actually it is the position of the GPS reciever .
Could you pls advice regarding this calculation
Reply
Mubin Khalpe 
Jan 23, 2018
Great sir the subjects you are covering are wonderful and easy to
understand and very knowledgeable.
Reply

aftab hadi 
Feb 5, 2018
very useful information, Thanks more information visit
http://www.eximknowledge.com/
Reply

Divyanshu singh 
Feb 8, 2018
Good article sir , but I have one question the center of circle should on
the forward not on the GPS position ? Plz clear my doubt
Reply

Nishan 
Feb 13, 2018
Sir please explain how to check with hand lead line that anchor is
dragging??
Reply

Slman khan 
Feb 21, 2018
SIr you are doing great job . It really helps me alot .. Sir can you brief
about types of deck seal on board
Reply
RecallAlarams 
Mar 6, 2018
Awesome, Thank you so much for sharing such an awesome blog... boat
safety alert services boat recall alerts
Reply

hasan 
Apr 5, 2018
thanks sir for wonderful information. can u plz write about the actions
taken for stopping dragging.
Reply

Rajkamal 
Apr 12, 2018
Superb excellent explanation
Reply

RecallAlarams 
May 2, 2018
Excellent information provided by you, Thank you so much............ recall
services for boats safety alerts on boats boat recall alerts
Reply

Vilas Patil 
Jun 24, 2018
Very well explained. Thank you sir
Reply
Rahul thakur 
Jul 8, 2018
Sir why we do not pass ahead of anchor vessel?? Inspite of propellor may
stuck on chain
Reply

Lester 
Oct 3, 2018
Sir, why do we use the distance from bridge to forecastle instead of the
L.O.A. for computing the swinging circle?
Reply

Amit chopdekar 
Oct 27, 2018
Thank you for such wonderful ideas. Your article is really helpful.
Reply

Rohit Chandra 
Oct 29, 2019
Sir can you please tell us how to determine ships anchor holding strength(
anchor holding power) is their any calculation for that ?
Reply

Temo Iremadze 
Feb 21, 2020
captain thanks for sharing your knowledge. it is very helpful for me, but i
am confused about the usage of ship's speed to understand whether
anchor is dragging or not, I have read your post about "SOG and STW"
and as i remember STW isn't affected by current, so in this case when
ship at anchor and is stopped and her SOG=0 and there is current and it
moves the ship and makes dragging the anchor, how the STW is affected
by current? can you explain in detail please?
Reply
Amar anand 
May 3, 2020
Amazing article sir
Reply

Nasir khan 
Jul 24, 2020
Sir please confirm regarding COW ? I have question when ship head way
pp moves ahead ,wind from beam the COW remains where it is ? so cow
will not change as pp will change?
Reply

Kevin Rey Sedoripa 

Aug 27, 2020
Thank You for the information. God bless.
Reply