NYK LINE Marine Group
DATE : 12/18/2012
REF.NO. : GEN 2012 016
SEQ.NO. : 2012 016
Originator Marine Group
:
SUBJECT: Guidelines for Safe Anchoring - Prevention of Dragging Anchor -
[NARRATIVE]
Building on Safety Bulletin Seq. No. 2012 015, "Guidelines for Safe Anchoring",
published in November 2012, NYK has established additional guidelines for safe
anchoring, focused on prevention of dragging anchor.
This guideline has been made to prevent the anchor from dragging, which can lead to
drifting and result in a vessel colliding, capsizing, or grounding.
In addition, NYK is utilizing this guideline as a tool in the company's Sail on Safety
campaign (from Dec. 2012 to Jan. 2013 ) to encourage an exchange of information and
opinions with those on ship and shore.
In order to ensure safe anchoring, all vessels owned and operated by NYK and NYK
Group companies should ensure strict compliance with the anchoring procedures in their
own SMS manuals, and should refer to the below guidelines and utilize them effectively.
1. Guidelines for Safe Anchoring, Seq. No. 2012 015, published on November 2012
2. Guidelines for Safe Anchoring - Prevention of Dragging Anchor, Seq. No. 2012 016,
published on December 2012
[ATTACHED]
-1-
Guidelines for Safe Anchoring
- Prevention of Dragging Anchor -
December, 2012
1. Purpose of this guideline................................................................................................2
2. Risk of dragging anchor .................................................................................................2
3. Warning winds ................................................................................................................4
4. Holding power by length of anchor chain veered out...................................................7
5. Use of the second anchor................................................................................................9
5.1. Hammer lock ...............................................................................................................9
5.2. Double anchoring / Two-anchor mooring...................................................................9
6. Detecting a dragging anchor........................................................................................10
6.1. Two stages of anchor dragging .................................................................................10
6.2. How to detect a dragging anchor .............................................................................11
7. Summary .......................................................................................................................13
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1. Purpose of this guideline
This guideline has been made to prevent the anchor from dragging, which can lead to
drifting and result in a vessel colliding, capsizing, or grounding. You are requested to
use this guideline to avoid an accident triggered by a dragging anchor.
2. Risk of dragging anchor
Summary;
A decision about the ship, such as escape to a safe offing, should consider the weather
forecast, geographic features, and nearby anchored vessels, and be made so that
there is adequate time for the vessel to avoid being placed in a dangerous situation
that can lead to dragging.
A dragging anchor can result in a serious marine accident, such as a collision, grounding,
or capsizing.
When Typhoon Guchol hit the area east of Japan from Shikoku to Tohoku in July 2012,
four vessels in the NYK fleet were at anchorage in Tokyo Bay, and the stormy winds
over 25 m/s caused all four vessels to drag their anchors. The track chart of the four
vessels (Dia.1) shows that each vessel used its main engine to withstand the typhoon.
The master of one of the four vessels provided the below comments.
“There were two anchored containerships nearby my vessel. At the time when
maximum momentary wind velocity reached 30–40 m/s (average wind velocity of 25
m/s), the anchor of my vessel and those of the two containerships started to drag.
The three vessels contacted one another by VHF, heaving up the anchor chain at the
same time and thus staving off a dangerous situation. Once the anchor was up, the
vessel started to navigate, but navigation was challenging because so many domestic
and small vessels started to navigate at the same time.
The vessel continued to use the main engine for over six hours, by means of navigation
or heaving to, until the wind calmed down. After the wind velocity calmed to about 15
m/s, the vessel dropped anchor at the same anchorage the ship was at before dragging.
According to the weather forecast, the typhoon was expected to head west, and the
storm’s wind speed was not expected to be that strong. In addition, the wave height at
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the offing was very high (8–9 m) and if we evacuated to the offing, bunker consumption
would have increased, so I decided to stay at anchorage.
After such a bad experience, I would not stay inside the bay under similar
circumstances. We were simply lucky that an accident did not occur.”
In some cases, vessels have stayed at anchorage even though there is a significant
likelihood of dragging anchor. However, after reading the above comment, you can
easily understand the risk caused by a dragging anchor. You should realize that weather
and typhoon-track forecasts always contain error. So you are requested to take this into
consideration and err on the side of safety when making a decision about your vessel.
Container (Loa 210m, 2,700 TEUs) General Cargo (Loa 130 m, 14,000 DWT)
General Cargo (Loa 120 m, 9,400 DWT） General Cargo (Loa 100 m,7,700 DWT)
Dia. 1 Tracking Chart of Vessels Dragging Anchor in Tokyo Bay (Typhoon Guchol, July 2012)
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3. Warning winds
Summary;
Warning winds — i.e., high winds that can indicate a greater likelihood of dragging
anchor — are indicated in the below table.
If winds are expected to near these speeds, the vessel should take action to avoid
dragging, such as standing by its main engine and bow thruster, adjusting the ship’s
draft, enhancing the anchor watch, and escaping to a safe offing.
Vessel Type Wind Velocity Boding Anchor Dragging
PCC Ave. 10 m/s
VLCC, Cape-size Bulker (Ballast) Ave. 15 m/s
VLCC, Cape-size Bulker (Fully Loaded) Ave. 20 m/s
Others Ave. 15 m/s
(For reference only. Regardless of the above data, appropriate action should always be taken.)
An anchor drags when external forces (wind, swells, and tides) exceed the holding power
of the anchor and anchor chain. In other words, the anchor drags when the following
condition is met: external forces > holding power. Thus, to assess the risk of dragging
anchor, you should know the holding power of your own vessel and the external forces
affecting the vessel.
Dia. 2 Formula for “Wind pressure on front of ship” and “Holding power” (Safety Bulletin 2007 001)
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External forces are composed of various factors, such as wind pressure, swells, and tides.
“Wind pressure on front of ship (R)” is calculated using the formula shown in Dia. 2.
“Holding power (P)” is also calculated using the formula shown in Dia. 2.
“Holding power (P)” is calculated using “Weight of anchor and anchor chain (Wa/Wc).”
“Wind pressure on front of ship (R)” is calculated using “Wind force (V)” and “Frontal
area of windage above sea surface (A).”
The risk of dragging anchor is greatly affected by “Wind velocity (V)” because “Wind
pressure on front of the ship (R)” is proportional to the square of “Wind velocity (V).”
Table 1 shows the wind velocity when “Wind pressure on front of ship (R)” exceeds
“Holding power (P),” i.e., “Critical wind velocity causing anchor to drag.”
Table 1 Critical Wind Velocity Causing Anchor to Drag (Safety Bulletin 2007 001)
Critical wind Calculation Conditions
velocity Frontal Anchor Anchor chain
Type of Ship [m/sec] area of
Type Dia.
windage Others
Weight Weight
[m2]
Container (3,800 Ballast 17 1108 AC 14 87mm
TEUs) Full Load 18 979 9.27 t 0.166 t/m
Container (6,300 Ballast 16 1620 AC 14 97 mm
TEUs) Full Load 17 1490 12.08 t 0.206 t/m
Bulk Carrier Ballast 18 1207 AC 14 97 mm
(200,000 DWT) Full Load 23 761 11.60 t 0.206 t/m
PCC Ballast 12 1060 AC 14 81mm
T=5 x R
(6,000 RT) Full Load 13 980 8.43 t 0.144 t/m
Ballast 17 1875 AC 14 114mm
VLCC
Full Load 22 1125 16.13 t 0.285 t/m
LNG Carrier Ballast 15 1762 JIS 114mm
(Moss Type) Full Load 15 1684 21.50t 0.285 t/m
【Calculation Condition】
・ Depth of water ：30 m
・ Bottom sediment ：Sand
・ Holding power coefficient of anchor ：AC-14: 7.0; JIS: 3.5
・ Length of anchor chain veered out ：10 shackles (275 m)
・ Holding power coefficient of anchor chain ：0.75 (bottom sediment: sand)
・ Wind-pressure coefficient ：0.75
・ Gust rate ：1.25
Note: This calculation does not consider swells, waves, currents, etc.
We conducted a hearing with pilots and well-experienced captains, and they reported
that the critical wind velocity shown in Table 1, which was calculated using the formula
shown in Dia.2, is reliable for practical use.
On the other hand, you should be well aware that critical wind velocity does not take
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into account the effect of swells and tides. And external forces will be increased by
swells and tides. Swells and tides can make the anchor chain suddenly slacken or
tighten, and there is a possibility that the anchor will drag even though the critical wind
velocity causing the anchor to drag has not yet been reached.
In addition, we should consider that the holding power might be reduced due to the
bottom condition (bottom character, viscosity, etc.) and the anchor condition (holding
condition, burial depth, etc.)
In consideration of the above, if wind velocity is expected to reach the velocity shown in
Table 2, the vessel should take action to avoid dragging, such as standing by its main
engine and bow thruster, adjusting the ship’s draft, enhancing the anchor watch, and
escaping to a safe offing.
Table 2 Warning Winds Boding Dragging
Vessel Type Warning Wind Velocity Boding Dragging
PCC Ave. 10 m/s
VLCC, Cape-size Bulker (Ballast) Ave. 15 m/s
VLCC, Cape-size Bulker (Fully Loaded) Ave. 20 m/s
Others Ave. 15 m/s
(For reference only. Regardless of the above data, appropriate action should always be taken.)
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4. Holding power by length of anchor chain veered out
Summary;
The holding power of the anchor chain increases only slightly if the vessel veers out
additional anchor chain.
If an additional three shackles of anchor chain are veered out, the critical wind
velocity increases by only 1 m/s.
We will now consider the holding power by length of anchor chain veered out. For the
calculation of holding power, formulas shown in Dia. 2 are used.
To determine the length of the anchor chain veered out, the below formulas are
commonly used.
① In normal weather: Ｌ ＝ ３Ｄ + ９０ｍ
② In rough weather: Ｌ ＝ ４Ｄ + １４５ｍ
(Ｄ: Depth(m), Ｌ: Deployed length of anchor chain (m))
Formula ① and ② are given in Japanese ship-handling booklets. A ship-handling
booklet from the U.K. provided formula ③ below.
③ Ｌ ＝ ３９ｘ D ｍ
Table 3 shows the length of anchor chain veered out, calculated using formulas ①, ②,
and ③ for a water depth of 30 m.
Table 3 Length of Anchor Chain Veered Out in Water Depth of 30 m
① ３Ｄ＋９０ ｍ ② ４Ｄ＋１４５ m ③ ３９ｘ √D m
Meters 180 m 265 m 214 m
Shackles Abt. 7ss (6.5ss) Abt. 10ss (9.6ss) Abt. 8ss (7.8ss)
Table 4 shows the length of anchor chain veered out using formulas ① and ②, which are
widely used in the NYK fleet.
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Table 4 Comparison of Critical Wind Velocity at an Anchor Chain Length of 7ss and 10ss
①7ss ②10ss Diff.
Type of Ship
[m/sec] [m/sec] [m/sec]
Container Ballast 16.3 17.3 1.0
(3,800 TEUs) Full Load 17.4 18.5 1.1
Container Ballast 15.4 16.2 0.8
(6,300 TEUs) Full Load 16.1 17.0 0.9
Bulk Carrier Ballast 17.5 18.5 1.0
(200,000 DWT) Full Load 22.3 23.7 1.4
PCC Ballast 12.3 13.0 0.7
(6,000 RT) Full Load 12.8 13.6 0.8
Ballast 16.5 17.3 0.8
VLCC
Full Load 21.4 22.8 1.4
LNG Carrier Ballast 14.2 15.5 1.3
(Moss Type) Full Load 14.6 15.9 1.3
(Calculation conditions — such as bottom sediment, etc. — are the same as
those in Table.3)
Table 4 shows that if the length of an anchor chain is veered out from 7ss to 10ss,
the critical wind velocity will increase by about only 1 m/s. Thus, additional anchor
chain increases holding power only slightly.
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5. Use of the second anchor
Summary;
There have been many reported cases of a vessel being unable to clear by itself a
fouled anchor and of the hull being damaged by the anchor fluke when a fouled
anchor is being cleared.
Both anchors would be lost if the vessel was using a second anchor and the anchors
were slipping. It would then be difficult to take further action if two anchors were
lost. Therefore, use of a second anchor is not recommended.
5.1. Hammer lock
The second anchor is often used as a “hammer lock” to ensure the safety of single
anchoring. The best way to use a hammer lock is for the vessel to drop two anchors
and extend both anchor cables to a direction that matches the wind direction at the
time when the maximum wind speed is predicted.
However, use of the second anchor is not recommended for the below reasons.
・ There have been many reported cases in which a vessel has been unable to clear
by itself a fouled anchor chain.
・ There have been many reported cases in which the hull has been damaged by
the anchor fluke while clearing a fouled anchor.
・ Both anchors would be lost if the vessel was using a second anchor and the
anchors were slipping. It would be difficult to take further action if two anchors
were lost.
5.2. Double anchoring / Two-anchor mooring
For large vessels, it would be very difficult to form the intended angle using two sets
of anchor cables when the second anchor is dropped. In particular, if wind direction
were to change, the risk of anchor cables becoming fouled would increase. Double
anchoring / two-anchor mooring is thus recommended only for small vessels, which
can more easily clear a fouled anchor, and is not recommended for large vessels.
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H ammer Double Two- Anchor
Lock Anchoring Moo ring
Dia. 3 Example of Second Anchor
6. Detecting a dragging anchor
Summary;
Anchor dragging occurs in two stages. It is important to make full use of the GPS,
ECDIS, and radar to detect dragging in the first stage, “swing dragging.”
As mentioned before, a dragging anchor could lead to drifting and result in a vessel
colliding, capsizing, or grounding. It is therefore important to detect a dragging as early
as possible to quickly regain control of the vessel.
6.1. Two stages of anchor dragging
Anchor dragging occurs in two stages.
1st Stage: Swing Dragging
The swinging body of the vessel results in pressure
on the vessel’s lee side. This condition is indicated
by the “B” section of Dia. 4. If the vessel can detect
dragging at this stage, heaving up the anchor and
regaining control of the vessel is relatively easy.
2nd Stage: Pressurized Dragging
The ship’s body is pushed by the wind, resulting in
constant pressure on the vessel’s lee side. This
condition is indicated by the “C” section of Dia. 4.
Dia. 4 Stages of Anchor Dragging
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Time is needed to heave up the anchor chain if the vessel detects dragging at this stage.
In addition, in most of cases, maneuvering is difficult until the anchor is heaved up.
It is therefore important to detect a dragging as early as possible — i.e., the first stage
— to quickly regain control of the vessel.
6.2. How to detect a dragging anchor
The common ways to detect a dragging
anchor are as follows:
① The ship is not positioned where it
should be.
② The ship’s heading is not directed
windward.
③ The ship is receiving wind from only
the starboard side or the port side.
④ Anchor cable remains tight even when
the side of the ship receiving wind
changes.
⑤ Anchor cable has unusual vibration. Dia. 5 GPS Track of Vessel Dragging Anchor (Rader)
Even though these ways to detect
dragging are widely known, it is difficult
to use methods to detect dragging in the
first stage because they normally appear
in the second stage.
To detect dragging in the first stage, it is
important to have an accurate
understanding of the ship’s position and
grasp vessel movement through use of the
GPS, ECDIS, and rader. (See Dia. 5 Dia. 6 GPS Track of Vessel Dragging Anchor (ECDIS)
and Dia. 6)
Dia. 5 shows a vessel’s GPS track on radar while the PCC was dragging. We can easily
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identify the first stage of dragging.
Dia. 6 shows vessel’s GPS track on ECDIS while the PCC was dragging. We can easily
identify the first stage of dragging, as we did in Dia. 6.
To avoid a marine accident caused by dragging anchor, it is important to detect dragging
during the first and take prompt action as early as possible.
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7. Summary
Summary ①
A decision about the ship, such as escape to a safe offing, should consider the weather
forecast, geographic features, and nearby anchored vessels, and be made so that
there is adequate time for the vessel to avoid being placed in a dangerous situation
that can lead to dragging.
Summary ②
Warning winds — i.e., high winds that can indicate a greater likelihood of dragging
anchor — are indicated in the below table.
If winds are expected to near these speeds, the vessel should take action to avoid
dragging, such as standing by its main engine and bow thruster, adjusting the ship’s
draft, enhancing the anchor watch, and escaping to a safe offing.
Vessel Type Wind Velocity Boding Anchor Dragging
PCC Ave. 10 m/s
VLCC, Cape-size Bulker (Ballast) Ave. 15 m/s
VLCC, Cape-size Bulker (Fully Loaded) Ave. 20 m/s
Others Ave. 15 m/s
(For reference only. Regardless of the above data, appropriate action should always be taken.)
Summary ③
The holding power of the anchor chain increases only slightly if the vessel veers out
additional anchor chain.
If an additional three shackles of anchor chain are veered out, the critical wind
velocity increases by only 1 m/s.
Summary ④
There have been many reported cases of a vessel being unable to clear by itself a
fouled anchor and of the hull being damaged by the anchor fluke when a fouled
anchor is being cleared.
Both anchors would be lost if the vessel was using a second anchor and the anchors
were slipping. It would then be difficult to take further action if two anchors were
lost. Therefore, use of a second anchor is not recommended.
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Summary ⑤
Anchor dragging occurs in two stages. It is important to make full use of the GPS,
ECDIS, and radar to detect dragging in the first stage, “swing dragging.”
References
1. Prevention of dragging anchor: Takuzo Okada, Japan P&I Club, September 2012
2. P&I Loss Prevention Bulletin Vol.17: Japan P&I Club, October 2010
3. Theory and practical of ship handling: Kinzo Inoue, Seizando, 2011
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