Maybe it is the season of violent weather, but there seems to have been a rash of casualties involving ships being blown off the berth, often causing damage to the ship itself, other vessels, port installations, and invariably general mayhem, before the situation is restored. Some of these accidents can be hugely expensive and many would appear to have been preventable. So why is this happening?

Some might suggest that the weather is indeed becoming more violent, although this assumption is not without controversy as the climate-change proponents and sceptics argue about the statistical nuances. Mariners will invariably assert that weather tends to go in phases and that there is a lot of luck involved, as to whether one is safely at sea with lots of room when a storm breaks, or is “trapped” alongside in port and unable to go anywhere. Without a doubt we are today better informed about the weather which might be anticipated, at least in the short term, thanks to science and satellites.

It could be that ports themselves are less “safe” than they were, the tendency being to construct new berths and terminals out into areas more exposed to the fury of the elements, with little shelter available if the wind is furiously trying to blow the ship off the berth. It wouldn’t be the first time that bollards or mooring hooks have been wrenched out of their concrete foundations. And ships themselves are bigger, offering more wind area to the violent gusts, particularly if it is a vessel that is light, or a ship like a giant car carrier, or a laden containership with boxes piled high on deck.

Are the mooring arrangements adequate aboard ship and ashore? With the latter, it has sometimes been the case that the ship is really too long for the berth she has been allocated and the lines and breast ropes are just not capable of holding the vessel alongside. There has been an explosive growth in the size of ships in recent years and it has been often a struggle for ports to keep up with the sheer scale of their customers.

It has also been occasionally noted, usually in the aftermath of an accident to mooring personnel afloat or ashore, that the layout of the mooring arrangements leaves something to be desired. It may be that this has been undertaken in the shipyard as part of the detailed design work and by people who may have little or no practical experience in seamanship or only theoretical knowledge of what is involved in mooring. Ideally, the owners’ superintending staff would have been available to ensure that the layout is satisfactory. In practice, this may well be all done without expert supervision and the position of the bitts and leads and warping drums etc. may have been determined on the basis of what looks convenient for the shipbuilder.

A further complexity may be in the development of new materials used in mooring ropes and wires. These may have many advantages in that they are easier to handle and lighter than conventional mooring lines, but their huge load capacity might place strains upon ship’s equipment. It also worth investigating whether the ship is equipped with enough lines, forward and aft, to keep her alongside in the worst possible circumstances. And finally, the competence of the crew and indeed the mooring gang ashore, can materially influence the outcome if the weather takes a turn for the worst.