Typical Anchor Handling Operation - Step 3

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

The crew of the supply vessel grab the messenger wire with a boat hook and connect it to the tugger wire. The tugger wire has a diameter of approximately 25-30 millimeters with a break load near 30 tons. The tugger winches are very powerful and can easily break the wire, so the winches are used very carefully when handling heavy loads.