OCIMF_Mooring_Equipment_Guidelines_(Second_Edition)

Introduction

Numerous standards, guidelines ond recommendations concerning mooring practices, mooring filtings

and mooring equipment exist throughollf the worldwide marine industry. These );arious requirements

lock uniformity. and );ital information, such os strenglh of fillings, is often missing. For example.

Classification Society rules provide empirically-based tables for hawsers os a guide, but not os 0

condition of class. These ore df?Tived from an equipmelll numeral oblained using displacement and

dimensional criteria. Winches are required only to conform to an applicable national standard or code

of practice. Very little guidance is pro);ided in the classification rules on the design and instal/ation

of billS, bollards. fairleads or chocks. No inforlllation is gi);en on safe working loads. strength of

materials, structural reinforcement. foundations or method of attachment of these fillings or mooring

winches. Where guidance is given. it often falls short: the inconsistency in recommending a nllmber

of hawsers and their breaking strength without any advice on moorinx winch pulling force or broke

holding capacity is one instance.

The result is thal a wide );arlalion in the number of mooring lilies. type of mooring equipment,

capacily of winches, etc., can be fOllnd. AI the one extreme, moorings may even be inherently unsafe
for certain environmental conditions. Many tanker loading berths ore silualed at exposed locations
and existing mooring equipment on some ships may not permit their maintaining (J safe moor at
Ihese berths during 011 prevailing environmental conditions. A t the other exlreme. on incomplete

understanding of mooring requirements could equally well result in a system which is over-.riesigned

and Itnnecessorily expensive for {he purpose intended.

n'e shipping industry has always been concerned with safe mooring practices. A fundamental aspect

of Ihis concern entails Ihe development of mooring systems which are adeQuale for fhe intended

service, witir maximl/m integration of standards across the range of tanker types ond sizes. To

further Ihis. the Oil Companies International Marine Forum set up 0 task group to investigate current
standards and usage and to develop and promOle guidance for the safe and efficient design and

operation of mooring equipment.

The International Association of Independenl Tanker Owners (INTER TA NKO), the International

Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Internatiollal Association of Classification Societies (IACS) have

par/icipated in the task group activity and from this broadly-based induslry group a set of criteria

has been developed which, it is hoped. will find wide industry acceptallce.

While the study inilially focu.ssed on tankers, it was soon realised tltat many of Ihe principles adopted

and tlte equipment strength and Installation criteria proposed could be applied to many other types

of ship moorings. Hence the lask force adopted the convention that where the contentS of these

guidelines were applicable to 0 range of ships, the term ship is employed and, where the provisions

were specifIc 10 0 ship type, the terms '{anker' Or 'gas carrier' hove been used.

In 1996 an editorial task force updated Ihe original work in the light of new coefficienls in the OCIMF

pllhlic(//ioll "Preriil'l;un or Will" ((nd C/lrrr1lt Lowls till VI.C(",\''' 191N. Ofll)(lflllllit,l' hlls III.\() />1'L'lIlfIkr:n

to incorporate updated extracls from the "Guidelines and Recommendations for the Stife Mooring

of Large Ships at Piers Qnd Sea Islands" first pllblished in 1978, and OCIMP Recommendations on

Equipment for The Towing of Disabled Tankers, 1981, which are now no longer ill print.

These guidelines represent best known mooring technology and practiu. It is recognized Ihal it may

not always be practical to retrofit all aspects of this technology to existing mooring syStems. For

existing ships, where the moorillg arrangement does nOI meet the recommendations described in these

guidelines. both ship and terminal operators should be mode aware of the limitations of the mooring

system and contingency plans drown up to deal with them. The contingency plans should include

(but not be limited to) predetermined environmental limits for berthing, stoppage of cargo loading

or unloading, and departure from the berth.

This publication allempts to refine, unify and update selected existing guidelines and to odd essential

informalion which has either been omitted or poorly defined. Care has been token 10 ensure that

design performance of equipmenJ is optimised, while nOf overlooking the equally important factors

of ease of handling and safety of personnel. These guidelines represent 0 recommended minimum

requirement, and are intended 10 be useful to ship designers and surveyors as well os ship and luminal

operalors_ They Qre not inlended 10 inhibit innovalion or future technological advances.

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