PSC deficiency code 18416: Mooring Ropes/Lines and Wires
Area 18 Maritime Labour Convention, 2006
Code 18416 is in the MLC health and safety group, so the angle is the people on the mooring deck. A line that parts under load can kill or maim anyone it whips across, and worn ropes and wires are what the inspector looks for here. The SOLAS side of mooring equipment has its own code (02140), as do winches and the lighting of mooring areas.
What the inspector looks at
This is usually checked on the deck round, often with the ship alongside and lines under load.
- Ropes in use and spares: chafe, cuts, glazed or fused fibres, flattening and internal wear
- Wires: broken wires, kinks, birdcaging, corrosion, and condition near the eyes
- Splices, tails, and the shackles or links joining a wire to its tail
- Line records: certificate, date into service, inspections, end-for-ending and retirement
- Spare lines stowed off the deck and protected from sunlight and chemicals
- Snap-back risk at mooring stations covered in the risk assessment and known to the crew
Common findings
- Mooring ropes in use badly chafed with broken strands
- Mooring wire with broken wires and kinks
- Eye splice of forward spring line damaged
- Mooring tail worn, no certificate on board
- No records of inspection of mooring lines
The rule behind it
MLC 2006 Regulation 4.3 and Standard A4.3 require the flag's rules to cover reasonable precautions against occupational accidents, including injury from equipment on board. Guideline B4.3.1 lists anchors, chains and lines among the subjects national guidance should deal with. SOLAS chapter II-1, regulation 3-8 (towing and mooring equipment), as amended from 1 January 2024, adds design requirements for mooring arrangements and a maintenance and inspection regime with documentation, backed by IMO guidelines on inspecting and maintaining mooring equipment including lines.
Action codes you are likely to see
A worn line swapped for a good spare during the visit is often marked 10. Lines that have to be bought and delivered are usually 17, or 16 if enough sound lines remain to moor safely. Missing records alone tend to get 16 or 17. Under MLC Standard A5.2.1 a ship can be held when conditions are clearly hazardous to seafarers' safety, so lines likely to part in normal use could lead to 30. See action taken codes.
How to close it
Replace damaged lines and tails with certified ones and keep the delivery note and certificates. Splices should be made by someone competent, following the rope maker's instructions. Update the line register for every line: certificate, date in service, inspections, end-for-ending and retirement criteria. Put photos, certificates and the updated register with the Form B. If records were missing across the board, the office should look at the ISM procedure behind them. Related: access and structural features.