BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION JANUARY 2024 IN RECENT YEARS, THE BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION TEAM HAS NOTICED AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DRAGGING ANCHOR INCIDENTS. DRAGGING ANCHOR PREVENTION Ships anchor for a variety of operational reasons however anchoring can lead to the loss of control over the ship and ultimately to the loss of anchors or chains, grounding, collision or damage to property. As a result, anchor-related incidents have the potential to trigger high value incidents and claims. Please note this guidance does not address all elements of the anchoring operation – only the elements which may influence the subsequent dragging of the anchor. For more information related to anchoring operations, please see our existing guidance. DRAGGING ANCHOR DRAGGING ANCHOR IS DEFINED AS THE LOSS OF THE HOLDING POWER OF THE ANCHOR SYSTEM. If this loss is sudden, it may require an immediate reaction to retain control over the ship. Once the anchor starts dragging, the change in the ship’s position may occur quite rapidly, especially in adverse weather and current. It is important to note “dragging anchor” refers to unintended loss of holding power, however “dredging anchor”, is intentional and can be used for manoeuvring purposes. 2 | BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION | GUIDANCE CAUSES OF DRAGGING ANCHOR In the publication “Anchoring Guidelines: A Risk-Based Approach” 1 , INTERTANKO summarises the root causes of anchoring incidents as “mainly related to poor seamanship, lack of planning and mishandling of equipment”. A frequent immediate cause for dragging anchor is rough weather, which results in exceeding the operational limits of the anchoring equipment. In heavy weather, it may be necessary to avoid anchoring altogether by proceeding to open sea. When anchoring under extreme conditions, for example in typhoon or area of high winds/swell, always consider that other ships in the anchorage are also likely to experience dragging anchor. In case of weather deteriorating whilst in the anchorage, delaying the decision to depart from the anchorage for too long may result in a difficulty in recovering the anchor. Weighing the dragging anchor may require additional time. Furthermore, in heavy wave/swell, the risk of anchor loss at the time of heaving up from the bottom increases significantly – this is because the ship’s vertical motion may result in rapid overloading of the anchor chain. Dragging anchor might be manageable if the amount of space available to the ship allows for it. However, the ship is likely to be in proximity of other ships or navigational hazards and the tolerance for uncontrolled movement may be very low. As the speed of dragging anchor in strong wind may quickly reach about 4 knots, the amount of time available to regain control of the situation is typically very limited. 1 INTERTANKO, Anchoring Guidelines: A Risk Based Approach, 2019. THE REASONS FOR DRAGGING ANCHOR TYPICALLY EXTENDS BEYOND THE ANCHOR ITSELF. FIGURE 1 Weighing the anchor 3 | BRITANNIA LOSS PREVENTION | GUIDANCE PREPARING FOR THE ANCHORING OPERATION THE PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS OF THE ANCHORING OPERATION WILL HAVE A DIRECT BEARING ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF DRAGGING ANCHOR. Like any critical operation, anchoring should be planned and subject to a robust risk assessment. Where applicable, these considerations should be an integral part of the passage planning process. It is strongly recommended that the Safety Management System (SMS) provides the necessary support in thi