Anchoring Operation on a Cargo Ship

Anchoring a Cargo Ship - How To (Basic)⚓ Due to the low pressure demands/low cost of most bulk cargoes, bulk carriers often go to anchor upon arrival at a port. This is normally to wait for the previous ship at the loading or discharge berth at it is still undergoing cargo operations. In some cases there could be a queue of vessels in the anchorage waiting to use the same berth. Another reason to go to anchor could be to wait for the next available harbour pilot. As a bulk carrier regularly goes to anchor, it is a perfect opportunity to show you through to basic principles of anchoring from the crew’s point of view. In this video you get through the basic anchoring operation of a cargo ship. You’ll see the operation right from the anchoring plan from the master all the way to actually letting go the anchor and heaving it up again. On this occasion we sailed empty (in ballast condition) from Brisbane to Gladstone and had to wait at the outer anchorage for a few days before a Harbour Pilot was available to guide our vessel to our berth.