Negative Sir.
3 Likes
There is normally a small watertight hatch normally at about waist height on the side of the cable locker. Inside there is a fitting rather like a Smit Lloyd bracket with a large pin securing the bitter end. The pin can be pulled in extremis releasing the bitter end.
I concur with having the clutch engaged in some circumstances. The Southern Ocean has very few possibilities of the anchor ever finding bottom and the opportunities of sending men forward are limited. The acceleration of the bow means that some movement of the anchor is inevitable when just on the brake cracking the cement over the spurling pipe. The stopper always has slack and if the chain gets a run on it will just start jumping.
2 Likes
or
SOTRA WEAK LINK SYSTEM â Sotra Anchor & Chain
ADDENDUM 20.02.25 SOURCE: Anchoring Guidelines:
A Risk-Based Approach by INTERTANKO 2019
Some additional info re bitter ends and weak links
Bitter end
The bitter end should have been designed to keep the end part of the chain in position. It is not designed to keep the end part of the chain when the chain has been accidentally deployed in speeds higher than normal.
Such condition could cause damage to the chain locker structure. The securing pin should be designed with a weak point (IACS rules require it to be >15% and < 30% of cable MBL) so that when forces higher than the
structure strength are exercised, the pin breaks, preventing further damage to the steel construction.
Recommendation:
A quick-release ability should be considered, combined with, during drawing approval, that the securing pin has been designed with a weak point. It is at the operatorâs discretion to choose what is preferable, the loss of an anchor or damage to the steel structure of chain lockers, most probably accompanied also by a loss of anchor.
ANCHOR WINCH BRAKES v/s ships blackouts
Anchor winch brakes
Today, many anchor winches brakes are hydraulic. In such cases there should be clear instructions on how to operate the anchor winch brakes manually or in cases of complete blackout.
Recommendation:
All anchor winch brakes should be operable in cases of a complete blackout. Manufacturers should provide clear instructions on how to do this and crew should be trained accordingly.
If hydraulic brakes are installed it is advisable that a dedicated feed pump supplying the oil to the brakes is installed. This pump should be connected to the emergency switchboard.
Detailed drawing of ships anchor equipment ;
2 Likes
Not getting why a âweak linkâ is good in an anchor cable. Can someone explain?
The link has to accommodate the pin and because it doesnât have a stud is more likely to deform and fail than the studded links. By contrast a Kenter shackle is individually fitted so the parts of each are not interchangeable with another shackle . The dovetailing on the stud and the tolerances used makes the shackle equivalent to the chain in strength. The weak link takes considerable force to fail and it protects the steel work around. Back in my youth it was impressed on us how much a kenter shackle cost and up to our waist in water on the back deck of an anchor handler looking after the bucket with the shackle parts was an important thing.
3 Likes
Nice diagram
Not even close. Some even struggle with more than three shackles (shots) of dead weight. The only solution to that (besides slipping the whole thing) is to drag it into shallower water before heaving.
I forget what the actual standard is, but itâs definitely not required to be able to pull the entire dead hanging weight of the ground tackle.
Update:
Didnât see anything new except this:
Unable to anchor due to unfavorable weather conditions, the ship ran aground in Wild Cove
Not clear what that means, Iâd think they didnât need to âanchorâ rather they needed to let go both anchors, 30 meters is just a bit over one shackle to the bottom. So a puzzle.
The explanation is in the link above
It explains well but I see only one person opened the link to find out what it contains.
1 Like
Feb. 17, the American salvage crew hired by MSC did manage to get aboard the MSC Baltic III, but Bruce English, the senior response officer with the Canadian Coast Guardâs Marine Environmental and Hazards, said more assessment of the ship needs to be done before a plan can be formulated.
Feb. 19, a salvage team is currently onboard the MSC Baltic III, assessing damage and formulating a plan to eventually remove the vessel from Cedar Cove. The team will complete their assessment inside the vessel, and there is the potential for a dive assessment as well to determine if thereâs any further damage to the body of the vessel.
Officials say they donât want to make a bad situation worse, by further damaging the vessel or allowing any oils to leak into the environment.
One factor that is plainly visible to anyone who visits the site is a section of rippled metal around mid-ship on the port side. English said this may have been caused by the grounding of the ship, or it may be sitting on a rock, but it remains to be seen how serious that damage is. We could see that when we arrived Sunday and itâs definitely a concern,â he said.
English said itâs too early to say for sure, but said it is likely the ship would be towed into the port of Corner Brook for a more detailed damage assessment and possible repairs after it is refloated.
I agree that the rippled midship shell plating on the port side ÊčmightÊč have been caused by the grounding of the ship! 
Question: Who is the American salvage company hired by MSC?
I missed the link and that is new requirement of class since I retired. Might have saved some repairs if the weak link had been around in the early 70âs. Initially we anchored VLCCâs by walking the anchor out then disconnecting the clutch and letting the chain run controlled by the brake as per normal practice. After providing a lucrative source of income to salvage entities industry practice was to walk the anchor all the way out.
ICE NAVIGATION IN CANADIAN WATERS
4.3.1 Superstructure Icing :
ÊșIt is important to maintain the anchor windlass free of ice so that the anchor may be dropped in case of emergency. Constant spray entering the hawse pipes may freeze solid inside the pipe, also anchors stowed in recessed pockets may freeze in place, both conditions preventing letting the anchor go. It is a good practice in freezing spray «to leave anchors slightly lowered in the hawse pipe in order to free them from ice accretion when needed». It is also advisable to maintain securing claws in place in case of slippery brakes, so that the anchors can be readily released in the event of a power blackout.Êș
The technique involves heaving up the anchors from their slightly lowered position in the hawse to break up the ice build-up. It that doesnât work, steam would have to be employed like we used to on coastal tankers. It would therefore be difficult to free the anchors from ice accretion under a power blackout, as the windlass is not feed by the emergency generator and steam is mostly nonexistent. So regular de-icing maintenance is paramount.
From the bow picture, the anchors are not stowed in ice-covered recessed pockets and do not seem either to be that frozen up.
1 Like
Observations from one Aleutian operation:
The problem with that is that freezing spray=rough seas, and rough seas mean that anchors will bash against the hull all day long if they are not hawsed. Not the worst thing in the world but unsettling for the crew to listen to.
Iâve been in plenty of icing situations where the ice was several feet thick on the bow. It takes many hours just to uncover the windlass etc. from the ice. The anchor is not the issue. Itâs the several feet of ice covering windlass, devils claws, etc. Once the windlass in dug out Iâve never had a problem with the anchor dropping. Just freeing up everything else.
Anyone who wasnât tried to de-ice just the critical parts of a 240â long boat like the windlass has no idea of who many man-hours it takes. And thatâs with chainsaws and jack-hammers. Steam would be nice but we donât live in that world. Heated pressure-washers do nothing.
Just an observation from one specific trade.
(I wasnât on the voyage below but it gives an idea of the challenges.)
3 Likes
Those link counts are not reliable. The way I ordinarily open links does not register.
1 Like
Thanks. Wonder why ? Have observed any time I click on the link and it opens the register is increaisng by â1â
Discord bug I expect. Simply clicking usually registers but not always. Opening in new window which I regularly do never registers. Opening in new tab I forget but I believe it also does not register.
1 Like
That is not a link but a âpictureâ in jpg:
Here is a link to Sotra Anchor & Chain and their weak link system:
https://www.sotra.net/?produkter=sotra-weak-link-system
I can sympathise with the Master standing on the bridge waiting for the Engineers to get the engine going again.
I had a similar experience many years ago. (Not weatherwise)
Heading out of the PG with a fully loaded old tanker when the main engine stopped as we were entering the Hormuz Strait.
We drifted towards the small islands in the middle of the strait (the Coins).
As we got closer I sent the Ch.Off, and Chippy up fwrd. to prepare the anchors for dropping, fully aware that we may not be able to retrieve any.
Luckily the engine came to life in time to avoid having to make that decision, but a better option than to hit the island.
So sad as MSC is my principals in NY and attended this particular vessel in recent manner with Myanmar crew basically . Details avoided . Thanks for sharing