Heavy weather risks at anchor, waiting off and entering port in Marine Insurance P&I Club News 30/03/2026 In this heavy weather series we have previously considered factors relevant to keeping ships and crew out of harm’s way when they are in or leaving port and also when on passage. This last article examines risks when arriving at port. Whilst initiatives for “just in time” arrival continue to develop, there are many reasons why it is common for ships to arrive before they can proceed into port. Often the ship will anchor, but they may also wait off the port. Geopolitical events may lead to ships spending even longer times waiting off or at anchor, increasing the period during which vessels may be exposed to heavy weather. Anchoring trouble Although anchoring is often treated as a routine task, many factors can combine to create situations where equipment is pushed beyond its intended design limits. Gard continues to see incidents involving anchor failure, despite earlier industry campaigns, and lost or dragging anchors are still a root causes of many groundings, collisions and contact damages, as outlined in this Insight. Class societies make it clear that even well-functioning equipment is only designed for temporary anchoring in a sheltered area, with no waves and good holding ground at normal depths. Outside shelter and allowing for wave loads, the wind limits are reduced significantly. It is important that masters are fully aware of these limits when heavy weather is forecast; also that the company ashore supports them, especially if commercial influences tempt more of a “wait and see” approach. Investigators in one case indicated that a bulk carrier master may have felt influenced by the fact that the holds had been cleaned for loading, with notice of readiness served, so ballasting one of the holds would have led to delays and potential commercial implications. Being in light ballast condition with a larger windage area and propeller partially immersed, engines were used as the wind increased to try and reduce the strain on the anchor system. Despite ten shackles in relatively shallow water, the anchor chain broke and the vessel collided with another anchored vessel. This caused water ingress to the engine room and the vessel continued to drift contacting a windfarm under construction. Thereafter the crew were evacuated, and the vessel salved a few miles from the shore. The investigation analyzed the anchorage. It was unsheltered, with a sub-optimal holding ground, whilst the shallow depth likely increased the stretching effect of waves on the anchor chain. In the six years preceding the casualty, there were as many as five anchor failure occurrences at the same anchorage, one of them very similar. The vessel in the subject case found itself in a difficult position, with hazards to the south and a storm to the north. Leaving the anchorage in light ballast condition for a more sheltered anchorage some distance away, would have required a much earlier decision. Proximity to hazards is a key consideration when anchoring and a growing concern when heavy weather combines with increasingly crowded offshore waters. The windfarm in the above case was around 2 miles from the anchorage and the vessel’s rate of drift reached 5 knots. Other offshore surface and subsea structures continue to occupy more space and in another case, two large container ships dragged anchors across an oil pipeline leading to serious pollution. The investigation