Cruise ships anchored off the South Coast during the coronavirus pandemic have suffered “anchor losses”, it was revealed today.
Vast vessels which would normally be sailing the Caribbean and Mediterranean packed with thousands of passengers have instead been sitting of Britain's shores, unable to put to sea after a ban during the crisis.
Some have apparently lost anchors while sheltering from storms, it emerged, as the Marine Accident Investigation Branch raised four safety issues for the industry.
It said: “The Covid-19 enforced operational pause saw many cruise vessels anchored off the UK’s South Coast.
“During this period there were several anchor losses associated with the inclement weather over the autumn and winter and the use of the anchoring equipment beyond its intended design parameters.
“The MAIB have identified a trend in the nature of anchoring equipment failures and have released this safety bulletin to the cruise industry to mitigate against further losses both in the short term and when the vessels return to normal operations.”
It urged captains to raise anchor and take their vessels out to sea rather than risk the chains tearing in rough seas and gusts.
Raising the safety issues, the MAIB said “ships' masters should be proactive in heading to sea and not wait for the anchor to drag in strong winds before acting”; the “choice of anchor and amount of cable chosen should be varied to avoid single point loading” and “ships' masters should ensure they and their crew are aware of the reporting procedures to the coastal state in the event of losing an anchor”.
It also advised cruise lines to check anchoring equipment before the industry restarts.
Gear “should be assessed before returning back into normal service due to the greater use of the anchors during this extraordinary period”, it added.
