Inspections are required in all ‘mooring controlled areas’ and managed by the relevant authorities, but more importantly, they give mooring owners the confidence that their components and design criteria are within the specifications of the mooring design.
Depending on the mooring, certification is normally valid for 6 or 12 months. Indianic hold the relevant insurances including Public and Products Liability, Protection and Indemnity Insurance, Professional Indemnity Insurance, Industrial Special Risks Insurance and other asset insurances that provide us with the cover to provide inspection services. We hold mooring contractor licences with the relevant Port Authorities and government agencies to allow us to service moorings throughout the country.
A typical mooring inspection/maintenance would involve the following basic steps:
- Clean the mooring components
- Measure the components of the mooring with vernier calipers and report to the Diving Supervisor
- Check the moorings connections are moused/pinned/welded, and have limited wear
- Check the ground legs are running out in the correct orientation (if applicable)
- Check the anchors are buried in position and their connections are secure.
- Mark the moorings centre point with a surface buoy so the differential GPS position can be confirmed.
- Check the buoy has the correct markings on it, hasn’t sustained any damage, is visible (i.e. floating correctly, has a light if required), has anodes (if required)
- Reporting requirements vary for different authorities: name of owner, identification markings of mooring, date of inspection, confirmed UTM location, depth check, buoy swing radius, mooring swing radius, environmental compliance, components list and measured results, photographs of components in-situ.
Maintenance of moorings usually occurs during the inspection. If a component has measured wear greater than the tolerances set by the designer, the component must be changed out to stay within the design criteria and enable re-certification.
There are numerous approaches that can be taken to perform maintenance requirements. Indianic has a diverse range of vessels and equipment that enable the most cost effective way to perform mooring maintenance. It is our experience and in-house training that puts best practice into our mooring maintenance programs, to ensure work is carried out to the highest level of safety and quality.
