This incident is drawn from the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) Safety Digest 1/2025. It highlights a recent case reviewed by IMCA to share lessons of interest with the wider maritime community.
What Happened
A crew member sustained severe hand injuries during mooring operations involving a port tender and a barge on a busy river. The port tender was transferring two workers to a barge that already had two boats secured alongside.
To facilitate boarding, the tender was positioned next to one of the moored boats. A crew member secured the tender using a mooring rope tied between cleats on the tender and the adjacent boat. Due to the tender’s lower freeboard, the mooring rope was under a steep angle.
The river current caused the tender to shift, dislodging the mooring rope from the cleat. As the crew member attempted to resecure the rope, the wake from a passing vessel caused the tender to rise and fall sharply.
While placing the eye of the rope back onto the cleat, the tender suddenly dropped, trapping the crew member’s fingers in the rope bight and crushing them against the cleat. The accident resulted in the severing of the tip of the little finger and severe crushing of the ring finger on the right hand. The injured crew member was transported ashore by the skipper and then taken to a hospital via ambulance.
Why It Happened (Cause & Safety Factors)
The incident was caused by the relative movement between the tender and the mooring point, combined with the steep angle of the mooring rope due to the significant height difference between the vessels.
Contributing factors included the dynamic river conditions, wake from passing traffic, and the placement of hands in proximity to tensioning lines. The need to resecure a mooring rope that had slipped off further increased the exposure to entrapment risk.
Actions Taken
The skipper responded immediately by raising the alarm and transporting the injured crew member ashore for medical attention. No further corrective actions were detailed in the report.
Lessons Learned
- Always anticipate relative motion between vessels when handling mooring lines, especially in areas with strong currents or frequent wakes.
- Keep fingers and hands clear of rope bights and cleats to avoid entrapment during tensioning or movement.
- If mooring lines cannot be run horizontally due to vessel design or height differences, conduct a risk assessment to evaluate cleat design and positioning to minimize slippage and handling risks.
- Routine mooring operations should incorporate controls for managing sudden vessel movement, including training and procedural safeguards.
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Source: IMCA
