HANDLING ROPES AND WIRES

PRECAUTIONS WHEN HANDLING ROPES:

• Synthetic ropes in contact with chemicals, acids, alkalis,
solvents, etc. can deteriorate. They have varying resistance to
such materials and must be stowed away from them in
well-ventilated dry compartments. Natural fibre ropes may
also get affected by chemicals.
• Wash the rope with fresh water in the event of it being
splashed by corrosives.
• Stow on gratings to avoid inadvertent contamination.
• Do not stow wet fibre ropes in the store as they are
susceptible to rot and mildew.
• Exposure to direct sunlight can cause synthetic ropes to
deteriorate and therefore must preferably be stowed under
deck.
• In port, coils must be kept covered.
• Avoid stowage of ropes in areas which are prone to heat, e.g.
against engine room bulkheads.
• Synthetic ropes may look good externally but may exhibit
excessive powdering internally. Hence inspect regularly for
wear and tear. Overworked ropes may become stiff and hairy
and must be replaced.
• New coils of ropes shall be unwrapped in an anti-clockwise
direction from the centre of the coil.
• Ensure that all splices are intact as all the tucks recommended
by the rope makers are necessary for safety and the tapered
part of the splice should be securely wrapped.
• The eyes are vulnerable to abrasion and should preferably be
protected by leather sheaths.
• When using stoppers use like for like(i.e. synthetic for
synthetic rope, fibre for fibre rope).
Fibre Rope Protection against
Chaffing :
• Avoid ropes making contact with sharp angles or from
snagging on quays.
• Ensure that the surface condition of winch barrels is good,
and that they are free from rust and paint.
• Ensure that fairleads are in good condition and that they
rotate properly and are lubricated regularly.
• Never allow a wire rope to cross a fibre rope on a bollard.
• Synthetic ropes have low melting points, hence do not surge
on drum ends.
• To avoid chafing, do not lead wires and ropes from the same
pedestal rollers and mooring leads.
• Never put strain on a kink as it can cause permanent damage.
• Synthetic ropes unlike fibre ropes do not provide any audible
warning when nearing its breaking point. Seamen to be wary
off severe whiplash.
• Owing to the design of mooring decks, the entire area should be
considered a potential snap-back zone.
• When mooring operations are taking place, all seafarers should be
correctly dressed in appropriate personal protective equipment
including full sleeved coveralls, safety helmet, safety shoes and
gloves.
• Have as few men as possible in the vicinity of all ropes under
strain. Never stand in the bight of a rope.

PRECAUTIONS WHEN HANDLING WIRE ROPES:

• When using steel wire ropes, it is important that they are properly
installed, maintained and lubricated as appropriate to their use.
Manufacturers’ guidelines and recommendations for use should be
strictly followed.
• The weight lifted by a wire rope shall be commensurate with the
permitted size and with a sufficient margin of safety as per the
relevant regulations.
• When eyes are formed, they should be made by eye-splicing or
using appropriate compression fittings (using swages or
ferrules). The use of bulldog grips is discouraged, and they must
not be used on lifting wires or mooring wires.
• A thimble or loop splice in any wire rope should have at least
three tucks, with a whole strand of rope and two tucks, with one
half of the wires cut out of each strand.
• Mooring and lifting wires are to be in good condition. Wire
ropes should be inspected frequently for wear corrosion and
damage. Splices in wire ropes should be inspected regularly to
check that they are intact.
• Wire ropes should be regularly inspected and treated with
suitable lubricants. These should be thoroughly applied so as to
prevent internal corrosion as well as corrosion on the outside.
The ropes should never be allowed to dry out.
• Wire ropes rove on drums should preferably be kept covered
with tarpaulin or other material on a voyage to avoid salt
deposits and corrosion.
• The intended use of a wire rope must be clearly stated on the
Certificate of Test & Thorough Examination and the wire rope shall
be used only for that purpose.
• Where wire rope is joined to fibre rope, a thimble or other device
should be inserted in the eye of the fibre rope. Both wire and fibre
rope should have the same direction of lay.
• When moorings are to be heaved on a drum end, the winch
operator must have a full view of all activity. The lead angle of the
wire rope onto the drum should be no more than a few degrees.
After being hauled tight, a chain stopper is to be used to allow the
wire rope to be removed from the warping drum and then placed
on a bollard or bitts by using figure of eight turns. At least the top
three lays of the figure of eight must be secured by a fibre rope to
prevent jumping.
• Avoid wire ropes making contact with sharp angles or from
snagging on quays as that would damage the wire rope
considerably.
• Ensure that fairleads are in good condition and that they rotate
properly and are lubricated regularly.
Wire to Rope Connection :
A rope mooring line should
never join a wire mooring line
without the use of a thimble.
The condition of the rope and
wire in this photo is a poor
example and the lack of a
thimble increases the
likelihood of the rope
breaking.
Connection of Mooring Tail Lines
to Wire Mooring Ropes :
The use of mooring tails is highly
recommended with low
elongation lines, such as steel
wire ropes for mooring of the
tankers. Synthetic tails provide
the necessary elasticity and
safety in the mooring system and
therefore lower the peak loads
on the main mooring line. This
elasticity provides protection
from surging and shock loading
to the main mooring rope and
deck equipment and safer
operation especially in exposed
mooring berths.
Forming a Eye Using Bulldog
Grips :
If it is necessary to create an
eye in the end of a wire, do
not use bulldog grips for
creating an eye in the end of a
wire rope.
• A wire should never be led across a fibre rope on a bollard.
Wires and ropes should be kept in separate fairleads or
bollards.
• When mooring and lifting operations are taking place, all
seafarers should be correctly dressed in appropriate personal
protective equipment including full sleeved coveralls, safety
helmet, safety shoes and gloves.
• Have as few men as possible in the vicinity of all wire ropes
under strain. Never stand in the bight of a wire rope.
Mooring Line Care and Maintenance:
FROM STEAMSHIP MUTUAL (P&I CLUB:
Recently the Club has experienced two large claims for injuries
sustained by linesmen and crew due to rope mooring lines
parting and striking personnel in the vicinity. In the first
incident a mooring line parted and struck two linesmen who
were on the wharf adjacent to the hull. It would seem that
the mooring line was worn at a point where it regularly
rubbed against on the ships hull whilst in use. The rope was
worn down to such a degree that it failed catastrophically
when being used to heave the vessel into position. The
second incident involved another rope mooring breaking
resulting in serious head arm and leg injuries to a
crewmember who was standing by in the vicinity.
• Members, their Masters and crew need to ensure that ropes
are cared for, utilised and maintained in line with industry
best practice. A planned maintenance system should also be
in place ensuring periodic thorough visual inspection of all
mooring lines, and that these are replaced promptly when
unacceptable damage is found.
Mooring Rope Inspection :
Apart from a visual inspection by crew prior to berthing and
periodic inspections by the Deck watch officer and seaman on
duty, whilst alongside, mooring ropes should be periodically
inspected along their entire length at least once a month. The
wear along the rope should be externally examined and areas
of wear and fusing on man made fibre ropes closely checked
to assess the integrity of the rope at these points.
• Areas of actinic degradation should also be inspected closely to
assess the rope’s integrity. Eye splice integrity and eye wear needs
to be checked and the strands of the rope opened up to check for
internal wear, the pilling of the internal surfaces on a man made
fibre rope is an indication of hard use. Mooring ropes, both loose
coils used on the bitts and those on winch drums should be
cropped and the eye re-spliced or end for ended once the working
end becomes worn. It is recommended that major damage should
not be cropped out from within the rope’s length and replaced
with a short splice as this will reduce the strength of the rope. If
there is any doubt as to the strength or integrity of a rope then it
should be replaced
{Definition of actinic}
• : of, relating to, resulting from, or exhibiting chemical changes
produced by radiant energy especially in the visible and ultraviolet
parts of the spectrum}
Mooring Wire Inspection:
Again, apart from visual inspection prior to use, wire ropes should be
subject to periodic inspection by the Deck watch officer and
seaman on duty, whilst the vessel is alongside and periodically
examined along their entire length at least once a month. Discard
criteria should be in place for removal of the wire rope from
service based on a recognised international standard. Normally the
discard criteria are based upon the percentage of the number of
individual wires within the rope which are broken within a length
equal to a multiple of the diameter of the rope. For example one
discard criterion is if more than 10% of the wires in the rope are
broken over a length of 10 diameters, then the wire should be
discarded. Another is if more than 8% of the wires are broken over
a length equal to 6 rope diameters. If the broken wires are
concentrated in one strand then the wire discard criterion
becomes stricter. If an individual wire within a strand has worn
down such that its’ diameter has been reduced by, for example,
33%, then it should be considered broken for the sake of
evaluating whether to discard the wire rope.
• If the wire rope is worn such that the diameter has decreased then
it should be discarded. Again various standards specify different
limits on allowable loss of rope diameter, stating that the rope
should be discarded if between 6 and 10% of the original diameter
of the rope has been lost. Defects which distort the wire rope, such
as bird caging, kinking, corrosion, flattening or crush damage
should be examined and their effect on the strength of the wire
evaluated.
Rope Care and Use:
In order to ensure that ropes remain in satisfactory condition and
free of damage the following points should be borne in mind by
crew members:
• Fibre ropes should not be left exposed to sunlight whilst at sea; they
should either be covered or stored below deck.
• Ropes need to be kept clear of the deck to ensure they do no come
into contact with any chemicals which may be detrimental to their
strength.
• It should be ensured that all mooring rollers are free turning and are
free from damage or corrosion on their surfaces which could cause
rope wear.
• Ropes should be stored clear of sources of heat.
• Winch drum ends, bollards and Panama leads need to be free
of damage or rust which could cause rope wear.
• Ropes should not be surged on winch drum ends or slacked
away by rendering; ropes should be walked back so far as
possible.
• Sharp angles in the lead of the rope are to be avoided as much
as possible. It must be remembered that these may exist in
spring lines when the rope runs alongside the hull between
the fairlead and the mooring bollard on the wharf.
• Fibre and wire ropes should not be led such that they cross
and touch other ropes, be they either fibre or wire, which
could lead to wear during the mooring period.
• Wire ropes are to be periodically dressed with an appropriate
grease to help maintain their condition.
WIRE ROPES
DAMAGED CONDITION OF MOORING
ROPES