Mooring lines are clearly an essential part of the ship's rigging and are used each time the vessel is arriving at and departing from a port, receiving tug assistance, towing another vessel or in STS operations. Claims arising from the above mentioned operations are frequently received by the Club and the most dramatic consequences are loss of life or total disability. Parting mooring lines may happen due to different factors, including but not limited to excessive wear and tear, excessive forces created by the vessel moving, wind, current, mooring winches or a combination of same. Most of the incidents could be avoided if seafarers and shore personnel (mooring men) would follow best mooring practice and use personal protective equipment. In order to alert seafarers of the potential danger of a parting line the fore and aft mooring decks of many vessels are marked with snap zones. Code of Safe Working Practices of Merchant Seafarers, article 26.3, recommends to avoid painting of snap-back zones as it may give a false sense of security as the entire mooring area should be considered as a potential snap-back zone. The best practice is to place posters with snap-back zones on mooring stations as indicated below. In addition, a warning "DANGER! ENTERING SNAP-BACK ZONE" is recommended to be placed before entering aft and fore mooring stations. Sometimes shore personnel become a victim of a parting mooring line. In such case the vessel will be held liable for all consequences arising thereof such as disability compensation or compensation to the family of the deceased. Sums at stake could be astronomical in some jurisdictions. In a recent case the aft first spring broke and hit two shore mooring men who were standing beside the bollard. In the incident one mooring man passed away and another was rushed to the hospital immediately. Verbal demand of USD 5 million for bank guarantee from the harbour master. Luckily the police and coroner decided not to prosecute the master a