Typical Anchor Handling Operation - Step 5

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

With the tugger and messenger wire out of the way the ship's main working wire can now be connected to the eye of the chaser wire. The working wire is another name for the wire on the anchor handling winch, the supply vessel's main winch. The hookup is done manually by (usually) two crewmembers. The eye of the work wire and the eye of the chaser wire are connected with a shackle, and afterwards the work wire is heaved in until the weight of the chaser ring and wire are carried entirely be the anchor handling winch. At this point the shark jaws can again be opened.