Typical Anchor Handling Operation - Step 1

In the following a typical anchor handling operation will be described step by sted. The procedure described is just one out of many more or less different ways of retreiving an oil rig mooring anchor from the seabed. The oil rig's equipment and / or construction may dictate a different procedure, as may the anchor handling vessel, but the procedure described here is the one I have participated in the most.

Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9

In this picture we see one of the semi-submersible oil rig's moorings. Most oil rigs are equipped with the shown anchor chain fairleads. This mainly to enable supply vessels to come alongside the rig, but also to give the moorings the best efficiency. The chaser ring is seen resting on the upper end of the anchor chain with the free end of the connected chaser wire stored on board the rig as shown. The setup shown in the picture is a typical oil rig mooring, and the supply vessel is seen approaching stern first, ready to receive the chaser wire.