Ship Emergency Towing Gear

Why do ships still lack emergency towing gear?

Why is it not a standard practice to at least walk out an anchor with two or three shots of chain before abandoning a ship at sea?

The Modern Express remains adrift for the third day, after attempts to make up tow failed yesterday. The salvage team got a messenger up, but parted it, and the team had to re-abandon the ship before night fall. The team suffered one minor injury.

Tugs have had very simple technology, the Orville Hook, to grab the chain bridles or chain surge gear of a drifting barge for at least 30 years. Typically, the Orville Hook can be rigged and deployed, and recover a drifting barge in the first pass in less than one hour —without the need to put anyone aboard the barge. The hook is designed to grab and hold the chain. It does not slip off. The Orville Hook is strong enough to tow the barge.

The Orville Hook would grab an emergency towing chain dangling from a ship, or the anchor chain, in exactly the same way that it grabs a barge.

Why is it, that after 30 years of very successful use of the Orville Hook, that ships still fail to have and use emergency towing gear, or at least walk out an anchor before abandonment, so that the salvage tug can grab the chain to take the ship in tow?

Good question. However, why abandon ship if it’s not sinking and/or on fire? It’s one thing to be drifting with no power vs foundering or sinking and on fire. If a vessel can be hooked up and towed by an appropriate vessel using the Orville hook, why not stay and help the salvage team. For the record, I just read your post and commented immediately. But I do agree with your point on the Orville hook.

For one, I think it would be extremely difficult to do anything on a ship listing 45 degrees or more. This is fromA Sea Story about the Estonia. Reading it will give you nightmares.

They were among the last to make it there. Since the first catastrophic heel maybe eight minutes had gone by. The list had increased by now to 40 degrees. When it got to 45 degrees, two or three minutes later, escape from the ship’s interior became all but impossible.

I don’t know if the anchors would even pay out at that angle. Why isn’t the salvage crew using the anchor chain?

For Solas tankers, no reason it can’t be applied to all vessels and made part of abandon ship procedures. Minimal expense to add in the construction of a new ship.

"The emergency towing arrangement at the aft end of the vessel must consist of pick-up gear, a towing pennant, chafing gear, a fairlead, a strong point and a roller pedestal. There are strength requirements for most parts. Furthermore, it is a particular requirement for the aft arrangement that the pick-up gear can be released manually by one man only. At the forward end, the pick-up gear and the towing pennant are made optional, but there is to be a strong point, a fairlead and a chafing chain.
The towing components need to have a working strength of at least 1,000 kN2 for tankers between 20,000 and 50,000 tonnes deadweight, and of at least 2,000 kN for vessels of greater tonnage. Working strength is defined as one half ultimate strength. The strength should be sufficient for all relevant angles of the towline, including a 90° pull to either side, and a 30° vertical pull downwards. Such requirements make it necessary not only to strengthen the vessel’s hull at the strong point for the towing attachment, but also at the fairlead point. The towing pennant is required to have a length of at least twice the lightest seagoing ballast freeboard at the fairlead, plus 50 metres. The requirements for the chafing gear allow for different designs, but if a chain is used, it should be fixed to the strong point and reach at least three meters beyond the fairlead.

Before abandoning vessel, the crew is expected to drop the pick-up gear overboard at the stern of the vessel. Some manufacturers use only one buoy on the pick-up rope, others use two, claiming that it is much easier to get hold of a rope between two buoys, than the buoy itself. The buoys should be fitted with a light to facilitate detection at night. While the forward gear is installed in the vessel’s centreline, the aft gear is often installed off centre, where space is available. The gear is therefore not meant for long tows, only emergency use. Some owners have preferred to install the gear under deck, where it is better protected."

[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;178022]For one, I think it would be extremely difficult to do anything on a ship listing 45 degrees or more. This is fromA Sea Story about the Estonia. Reading it will give you nightmares.

I don’t know if the anchors would even pay out at that angle. Why isn’t the salvage crew using the anchor chain?[/QUOTE]

It did not occur to me that it it might not be possible to walk the anchor out with a 40 degree list. That is a good point. I sure wouldn’t know.

However, that just points out the need for dedicated emergency towing gear that will pay out with a severe list. I’m not sure how to rig that, but there must be a reliable way to do it.

I imagine that the salvage crew is not trying to walk an anchor out because they don’t have any power to the anchor windlass. Since they have men aboard, they can rig a messenger around a bollard and back to the tug so that the tug can winch the towing pennant up on to the ship. But that’s probably how they parted the messenger.

If only there were something to grab with the Orville Hook, the ship would have been under tow days ago.

[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;178022]For one, I think it would be extremely difficult to do anything on a ship listing 45 degrees or more. This is fromA Sea Story about the Estonia. Reading it will give you nightmares.
QUOTE]

I will have nightmares and became literally sick from this. I’m looking into the other details now about the sinking but thanks for the eye opener about the reality of list angles.

[QUOTE=Kennebec Captain;178022]
For one, I think it would be extremely difficult to do anything on a ship listing 45 degrees or more.
I don’t know if the anchors would even pay out at that angle. Why isn’t the salvage crew using the anchor chain?[/QUOTE]

When trying to tow the Fwrd. half of the MOL Comfort the salvage crew managed to hook up to the anchor chain. Admittedly the ship was not listing, but definitely no power available.

I have a lot more pictures and even some video of this salvage operation, which was obtained from the Master of the Salvage vessel Capricorn after returning to Colombo base after the Fwrd. half caught fire and also sunk.

This picture show the anchor and chain on deck:

Before cutting the chain to make connection:


Noticed the long handle gas axe??

Hooked up and under tow to Salalah:

On fire:

Totally burnt out and about to sink:


Time to slip the wire and get away.

As of a report posted 6 hours ago, Smit has been unable to get a towline on the Modern Express about 130 miles offshore. The list has stabilized at 50 degrees. They are speculating that she may was ashore before she can be taken under tow.

This really points out the need to equip ships with practical emergency tow gear that can be snagged by a tug with its Orville Hook without the need to put men aboard the distressed ship.

the best solution is the existing and proven emergency towing rigs tankers have. They ships crew or a salvage crew could deploy it within minutes

Latest I can find: http://www.newsmaritime.com/2016/failed-attempt-to-town-car-carrier-modern-express/

[QUOTE=tugsailor;178075]
This really points out the need to equip ships with practical emergency tow gear that can be snagged by a tug with its Orville Hook without the need to put men aboard the distressed ship.[/QUOTE]

//youtu.be/H0XO6p9r2ss

That is an interesting kit. Why isn’t it being used on the Modern Express?

Still I think that is an overly complex substitute, requiring a helicopter, and helicopter weather.

A hanging chain for an Orville Hook to grab is well proven and much simpler and more reliable.

[QUOTE=tugsailor;178088]That is an interesting kit. Why isn’t it being used on the Modern Express?

Still I think that is an overly complex substitute, requiring a helicopter, and helicopter weather.

A hanging chain for an Orville Hook to grab is well proven and much simpler and more reliable.[/QUOTE]

Never heard about the Orville Hook. And how do you make the preparation for a hanging chain on a vessel with a bad list where the vessels crew have abandoned ship?

just have to drop the anchor down a bit

The crew of the ship must walk out three shots of chain (anchor and all) before the abandon the ship.

Or the ship must have a dedicated emergency towing chain that must be dropped – before abandoning ship.

Would there have to be a regulatory requirement for the master to drop the anchor or emergency chain since? Correct me if I’m wrong but the crew doesn’t really have a horse in the race when it comes to the vessel being salvaged and I’d imagine at that point would care more about getting of the vessel.

[QUOTE=bbryantm;178105]Would there have to be a regulatory requirement for the master to drop the anchor or emergency chain since? Correct me if I’m wrong but the crew doesn’t really have a horse in the race when it comes to the vessel being salvaged and I’d imagine at that point would care more about getting of the vessel.[/QUOTE]

If the master fails to drop the emergency towing chain or anchor before ordering abandon ship, then his CoC should suspended, and if the ship ends doing damage the owner should be strictly liable for triple damages.

[QUOTE=z-drive;178024]For Solas tankers, no reason it can’t be applied to all vessels and made part of abandon ship procedures. Minimal expense to add in the construction of a new ship.

"The emergency towing arrangement at the aft end of the vessel must consist of pick-up gear, a towing pennant, chafing gear, a fairlead, a strong point and a roller pedestal. There are strength requirements for most parts. Furthermore, it is a particular requirement for the aft arrangement that the pick-up gear can be released manually by one man only. At the forward end, the pick-up gear and the towing pennant are made optional, but there is to be a strong point, a fairlead and a chafing chain.
The towing components need to have a working strength of at least 1,000 kN2 for tankers between 20,000 and 50,000 tonnes deadweight, and of at least 2,000 kN for vessels of greater tonnage. Working strength is defined as one half ultimate strength. The strength should be sufficient for all relevant angles of the towline, including a 90° pull to either side, and a 30° vertical pull downwards. Such requirements make it necessary not only to strengthen the vessel’s hull at the strong point for the towing attachment, but also at the fairlead point. The towing pennant is required to have a length of at least twice the lightest seagoing ballast freeboard at the fairlead, plus 50 metres. The requirements for the chafing gear allow for different designs, but if a chain is used, it should be fixed to the strong point and reach at least three meters beyond the fairlead.

Before abandoning vessel, the crew is expected to drop the pick-up gear overboard at the stern of the vessel. Some manufacturers use only one buoy on the pick-up rope, others use two, claiming that it is much easier to get hold of a rope between two buoys, than the buoy itself. The buoys should be fitted with a light to facilitate detection at night. While the forward gear is installed in the vessel’s centreline, the aft gear is often installed off centre, where space is available. The gear is therefore not meant for long tows, only emergency use. Some owners have preferred to install the gear under deck, where it is better protected."[/QUOTE]

That requirement goes back to the 90s. I remember being involved with the installation of them during my ABS days.