1. ANCHORING & MOORING
An anchor is used to attach a ship to the seabed at a specific point. The primary function of an anchor is to hold the ship againts current, wind and waves. It is composed of a shack, a shackle, a crown, arms and flukes . It bears the producer’s name, its progressive number, its weight and the number of the anchor certificate on the shank and the crown.

2. Ships have anchor certificates showing the information of anchor’s type, weight, length, diameter and the results of drop and bending test.

3. The windlass is the ship’s essential anchoring equipment located at the forecastle of the ship. It is used for lowering and raising the anchor and also for warping and hadling the mooring lines. It consists of a wildcat to grip the anchor chain ; a brake and drums at each end of the windlass for warping.

4. The anchor chain(cable) is stowed in the chain locker
The anchor chain(cable) is stowed in the chain locker. The bitter end of the cable is secured by the cable clench inside the chain locker. It comes up from the chain locker throught the spurling pipe, goes down throught the hawse pipe. The anchor chain is made up of lenghts of shackles. A standard shackle is 15 fathoms.(27,5m) long.

5. A captan is a vertical winch used raising anchor heaving-in or veering lines or for any similar work. It comprises a steel drum mounted on a vertical spindle.

6. Mooring equipment
The mooring equipment consists of a mooring winch bitts fairleads, chocks and ropes. The mooring winch is the usual mooring equipment used on board ships. The winch drum is used to haul in or let out the lines while mooring the ship to the bollards.

7. The warp end is used when moving the ship using rope fastened to the bollards ashore. The changes in tide or ship’s draught may result tensioning or slackening of mooring lines; for that reason, many ships equipped with self-tensioning winches. A line tension is pre- set and the winch will pay out (render) when tension in the line exceeds this value and will recover when it is less than this value.

8. A fairlead is used for guiding the lines
A fairlead is used for guiding the lines. Bitts are onboard twin posts used for securing the mooring and towing lines; bollards are mooring posts found on the quayside. Chock are used to pass the mooring lines to the bollards. Other mooring fittings cleats and pad eyes are used for fastening lines.

9. Rope refers to both fibre and wire rope
Rope refers to both fibre and wire rope. The rope in use on board a ship is called line. A rope is made by spinnig natural or synthetic fibres into yarns and the yarns are twisted in an opposite direction to form strands. The strands are twisted or plaited together to form ropes.

10. The synthetic ropes are stronger and more durable than the natural fibre ropes. They are resistant to abrasion, weather and chemicals such as acids, solvents. Steel wire ropes are composed of thin wires twisted into strands and a fibre (or steel) core.