FAQ

• MEG 4 new requirements
• Ship operators are challenged to handle the operational information on mooring lines use while the vessel is at dock or during STS operations
• Ship operators are challenged to assess the handling of mooring lines from past data included at the fleet register.

• Technical Operators
• Rope Manufactures

The database accepts input from the vessel by use of automatic forms (excel). The forms include the following :

• Registration of vessel existing and new mooring gear
• Reporting in case of failure or line replacement

The out is:

• Recordkeeping on use of mooring lines.
• Statistics between fleet vessels or same or equivalent mooring lines
• Benchmarking on maintenance/use/failure of equivalent mooring lines in relation to conditions/locations/manufacturers etc. with respect to the participating vessels
• Input from rope manufacturers

The minimum breaking load of new, dry mooring lines for which a ship’s mooring system is designed, to meet OCIMF standard environmental criteria restraint requirements. The ship design MBL is the core parameter against which all the other components of a ship’s mooring system are sized and designed with defined tolerances.

Nylon (polyamide) mooring lines should be specified as break tested wet because nylon lines change strength characteristics once exposed to water and generally do not fully dry to their original construction state.
Source: OCIMF

LDBF is the minimum force that a new, dry, spliced mooring line will break at when tested according to appendix B. This is for all mooring line and tail materials except those manufactured from nylon which is tested wet and spliced. This value is declared by the manufacturer on each line’s mooring line certificate (see appendix B) and is stated on a manufacturer’s line data sheet. As outlined in appendix B, when selecting lines, the LDBF of a line shall be 100%–105% of the ship design MBL.

The LDBF for nylon (polyamide) mooring lines should be specified as break tested wet because nylon lines change strength characteristics once exposed to water and generally do not fully dry to their original construction state.
Source: OCIMF

The maximum load that a mooring line should be subjected to in operational service, calculated from the standard environmental criteria. The WLL is expressed as a percentage of ship design MBL and should be used as a limiting value in both ship design and operational mooring analyses. During operation, the WLL should not be exceeded.

In the same way that SWL is a limit for fixed equipment, the WLL value is used as a limit with the standard environmental criteria and mooring layout when designing mooring systems in establishing mooring system designs. Steel wire ropes have a WLL of 55% of the ship design MBL and all other cordage (synthetic) have a WLL of 50% of the ship design MBL.
Source: OCIMF

The MSMP which will complement the ship’s safety management system. Through a 'goal-based' approach core elements of the mooring system are identified, against which high level 'goals' are established supported by more detailed 'functional requirements'. A register of the mooring system components is maintained for the ship’s life in an accompanying Mooring System Management Plan Register (MSMPR).
Source: OCIMF

The objective for the MSMP is to ensure that all assessed risks are effectively managed through the design and operation of the mooring system. Its aim is to ensure that during mooring operations, no harm comes to ship or terminal staff or damage to the ship or terminal/facility it is interfacing with, and that the mooring system meets applicable regulations, codes and recommended practice.

The MSMP contains details of items that may be ship or operator specific (e.g. parts of the operator’s SMS), and guidance on items that should be retained in a Mooring System Management Plan Register (MSMPR) that stays with the ship throughout its life-cycle.