FSU mooring systems (whether turret-type or spread), being only for in-place conditions, are not normally
configured to act as emergency moorings during transit. On a conversion the permanent gear is usually
removed. For many designs the deck space where an emergency anchor might be sited is taken up with the
permanent mooring equipment.
K.5.4
For any tow, there are arguments for and against the provision of anchors:
For:
a.Conventional marine and insurance industry practice is that an anchor is provided, and any alternative
arrangement must be justified.
b.Once access is gained to the tow, or if the tow is manned, an anchor may provide a “last resort” method of
controlling the tow.
Against:
a.A chain locker must be provided together with an anchor windlass, chain stoppers etc. and these will be
for one use only. A billboard arrangement, as shown in [11.16.6]and [K.4]would almost certainly be
ineffective for large tows.
b.Whereas ships and ship-FSU conversions may retain a hawse pipe, chain locker, anchor windlass, chain
stoppers etc., most new build FSU’s are not fitted with these facilities.
c.For most of a weather unrestricted towage, and close to steep-to coastlines, the depth of water will be too
great for an anchor to be effective.
d.If the tow is not manned, then boarding it in bad weather could pose an unacceptable hazard to the
boarding crew, and deploying the anchor may prove to be impossible. In this respect a spare tug rather
than an anchor would be more useful.
e.In some restricted areas, especially with pipelines, cables or subsea equipment, anchoring is prohibited,
even in emergency situations.
f.Unless the anchor can be paid out under control, the shock loads when the anchor beds in and the cable
comes taut may be excessive, and could result in damage, loss of the anchor or unacceptable risk to the
riding crew.
g.Under adverse conditions the anchor may drag, and the tow could still be lost.
h.If 2 or more tugs are towing, then it is unlikely that any attempt to deploy an anchor would be made until
all tugs or towlines had failed. If, for instance, 2 tugs were towing, dropping an anchor after a single
towline failure would seriously hamper the efforts of the remaining tug to control the situation. An anchor
will probably only be dropped, therefore, if all towlines break.
i.After deployment of an anchor the towage must resume at some point. The anchor must either be
retrieved or cut and abandoned for later retrieval. It is probable that the tow would then be lacking an
anchor, at least for a time. It is suggested that any anchor used is fitted with a retrieval pennant and buoy.
K.5.5
If sufficient towing capacity and redundancy is provided, in the towing spread, tugs will provide a more flexible
and manoeuvrable means of controlling the tow. Reaction time will be faster and control should be possible in all
water depths.
K.5.6
Proposed criteria, if anchor(s) are not used, include:
a.Provision of at least N main towing tugs, any (N-1) of which comply with the requirements of [11.12.2], or:
b.Provision of at least 2 main towing tugs, which together comply with the requirements of [11.12.2], and:
c.If 1 or 2 main towing tugs are provided, an additional tug will be required to escort the tow, if the tow
comes within an agreed distance of any coastline or offshore hazard. (48 nautical miles is suggested as a
minimum, assuming the tow may drift uncontrollably at 2 knots for 24 hours).
d.The escort tug should be approximately equal in specification to the larger main towing tug.
e.The escort tug is not always required to hook up for escort duties, but contingency plans and equipment
must allow for it to be connected rapidly, either in place of one of the other two tugs, or in addition, such
that the configuration is still reasonably balanced.
f.In restricted waters, if one of the main towing tugs has a breakdown, it may be preferable to connect the
escort tug to the bow of the broken-down tug, rather than to the tow
g.The towage route must be drawn up showing the proximity to coastlines or other hazards, and the route
sectors where an escort tug is required. Planning should ensure that the escort tug has time to arrive and
connect up before the sea room is below the agreed limits.
K.6 Alternative arrangements for towing connections for ship towages
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