It has been brought to the attention of the Managers that there has been an increased number of damaged underwater pipelines, cables and their protective structures in Turkish waters.
Anchors and chains can sever or damage pipelines, power or fiber optic cables and protective mattresses which can lead to costly claims. Even suspected damage incidents (where no actual damage is ultimately ascertained) often trigger administrative investigations, leading to costly underwater inspections, standby tugboat deployments, administrative fines imposed by local authorities and operational delays or detentions on the vessels.
Consequently, shipowners are required to carry out diver inspections using remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and ultra-short baseline (USBL) acoustic positioning systems. In cases where the anchors have entangled the submarine cables, apart from the damage, removal of the anchors is extremely costly. In such cases, the appointment of a diver company would also be subject to the approval of the company that owns the underwater pipeline, cable or structure.
Recommendations
Members are reminded to ensure that charts covering anchorage areas are up to date. Masters should plan the anchoring operation considering swinging circles, location of other vessels in their vicinity, water depth and presence of any cables and pipelines in their company anchoring checklists and procedures.
Once anchored, an anchor watch should be maintained and detailed logbook entries kept. Records of all VTS and port control instructions and warnings should be maintained as they may be scrutinized in the event of a claim.
Members should take note of this information and be guided accordingly. The Managers would like to thank our correspondent Metropole Maritime & Trading Co., Ltd., Istanbul for their assistance on this topic and for providing the information upon which this Alert has been based
