AB Anchoring and Mooring Operations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 'breast line' used in mooring is a line that runs:
- Diagonally forward from the bow to the dock
- At a right angle from the vessel's side to the dock (Correct answer)
- Aft from the stern at a 45-degree angle
- From the bow to the stern along the dock face
Correct answer: At a right angle from the vessel's side to the dock
A breast line runs perpendicular (at 90 degrees) from the ship's side to the dock, preventing the vessel from moving away from the berth.
Question 2: What is a 'spring line' used for when mooring?
- To prevent the vessel from moving forward or aft along the dock (Correct answer)
- To hold the vessel away from the dock in strong winds
- To connect two vessels for a ship-to-ship transfer
- To secure the anchor to the chain stopper
Correct answer: To prevent the vessel from moving forward or aft along the dock
Spring lines run diagonally forward or aft along the dock to prevent fore-and-aft movement of the vessel.
Question 3: When taking a vessel's mooring lines to a dock, the correct order for making fast is typically:
- Stern line, stern spring, head spring, bow line
- Bow line, stern line, springs, then breast lines (Correct answer)
- All lines simultaneously using multiple deck crew
- Springs first, then bow and stern lines, then breast lines
Correct answer: Bow line, stern line, springs, then breast lines
Standard practice is to first secure the bow and stern lines to prevent the vessel drifting away, then springs and breast lines to fine-tune position.
Question 4: A 'heaving line' is used in mooring operations to:
- Haul a heavy mooring line across to the dock (Correct answer)
- Measure the depth of water at the berth
- Secure the vessel to a mooring buoy
- Pass anchoring instructions to dock workers
Correct answer: Haul a heavy mooring line across to the dock
A heaving line is a lightweight line thrown to the dock or another vessel to pull a heavier mooring hawser across the gap.
Question 5: What is a 'chock' in the context of mooring a vessel?
- A wooden wedge used to secure cargo
- A fairlead fitting that guides mooring lines through the bulwark (Correct answer)
- A type of mooring buoy used in harbors
- A stopper applied to the anchor chain
Correct answer: A fairlead fitting that guides mooring lines through the bulwark
A chock is a deck fitting that guides and supports mooring lines, reducing chafe and directing the line at the correct angle to the dock.
Question 6: When a mooring line is described as having too much 'sag' or 'slack,' the correct action is to:
- Cut the line and replace it with a longer one
- Take in (heave) the line to reduce slack and prevent chafe (Correct answer)
- Let go the line completely to re-rig it
- Secure an additional stopper to hold the excess line
Correct answer: Take in (heave) the line to reduce slack and prevent chafe
Excess slack in a mooring line allows the vessel to surge and can cause shock loading, so the line should be heaved in to maintain proper tension.
Question 7: A 'buoy mooring' involves the vessel being secured to:
- A fixed pile driven into the seabed
- An anchored floating device with an attached mooring pendant (Correct answer)
- Two shore-based bollards simultaneously
- A temporary anchor placed by the ship's crew
Correct answer: An anchored floating device with an attached mooring pendant
A buoy mooring uses a floating buoy that is held in position by its own ground tackle, and the vessel attaches to the buoy via a mooring pendant or hawser.
AB Anchoring and Mooring Operations 2
A 'breast line' used in mooring is a line that runs: