Enhanced towage guidelines improve tug safety

In the wake of a number of towage accidents in the last two years, a towage good practice guide has been published with additional information on vessel stability. UK-based National Workboat Association (NWA) has released a second edition of Use of Workboats for Towage: Good Practice Guide to improve safety in the sector.

This provides advice and recommendations for the safe operation of tugs and is an updated version of NWA’s existing guidance which includes feedback from towage operators throughout the UK and Europe. It is needed as tugs have capsized during towage operations leading to seafarer deaths.

The updated version of the Good Practice Guide includes additional guidance on the safe use of gog ropes to prevent girting, or capsizing of workboats during towage and harbour operations.

While this is a rare occurrence, incidents of girting continue to pose a significant challenge to the safe completion of towage operations, said NWA. This leaves tug operators vulnerable to financial and reputational damage and is a danger to human life.

This second edition of Good Practice Guide was developed in collaboration with SMS Towage Captain Gareth Bonner. It is designed to help tug masters interpret the stability books on board individual vessels.

It covers the basic principles of stability and defines regularly used terminology found in stability documentation on workboats, helping to prevent any lack of clarity that could pose a risk to the safe operation of tugs.

Tug Technology & Business regularly covers safety issues. Click here to see my last comment on this subject.

Keep up to speed on the latest developments in tug technology, subscribe to Tug Technology & Business today.