Certificates For Manropes And Pilot Ladder Securing Ropes

Securing ropes and manropes are integral components of any pilot ladder setup but are largely forgotten elements despite their significance.

Just as you wouldn’t buy a Ferrari and fit cheap worn tyres why would you spend money on a quality ISO 799 pilot ladder and not ensure the ancillary equipment is up to the job?

The securing ropes are every bit as important as the ladder when using a pilot ladder at an intermediate length. They effectively stopper the side ropes and hold the ladder in place while the pilot is climbing. The regulations are clear in the respect of securing ropes in that they should be as strong as the side ropes of the pilot ladder which is 48kN. This can effectively be achieved with 20mm polypropylene rope as manila rope would need to be 32mm diameter to achieve this minimum breaking strain making it difficult to use in a rolling hitch configuration. However many ships are regularly using random lengths of uncertified rope which have no certificates, records or being used purely for this task. Such behaviour as well as introducing unnecessary risk exposes shipping companies to compliance issues and evidential problems when things go wrong.

Fathom Safety always supply fully certified and tagged securing ropes with serial number and with a breaking strength of not less than 57kN. The master and Fathom retain a copy of the certificate and we replace these securing ropes along with the pilot ladders (every 24-30 months dependent on client preference).

Manrope certification is equally important. Manropes have been another hot topic in pilotage following a number of serious incidents in which the ropes parted whilst in use seriously injuring the pilots involved. Due to the incidents some Australian ports now have strict regulation in place that require manropes to be under 24 months in age and fully certificated AND tagged. From May 1st 2024 New Zealand ports will require manropes to be no older than 12 months! Our high quality PTR Holland supplied manropes come with both DNV endorsed certification and are properly tagged to ensure the manrope can be reconciled with the corresponding certificate.

It's also worth remembering that manropes need securing just like a pilot ladder when used at intermediate lengths so an additional set of securing ropes is required. The manropes should also be secured to the ship’s side 1.5m above the accommodation ladder platform when a combination rig is used.

Having appropriate equipment AND documentation ensure vessels don’t face any undue delays when arriving at port. What’s more, with our Ladder Sentry® software ship’s masters can transmit their entire certificate file for all pilot ladder, securing ropes and manropes in a single click, making it a hassle free task to be totally compliant with port authority regulations.

In the event of a pilot transfer incident having comprehensive documentation is vital to the investigation and demonstrates not only compliance but the seriousness with which the ship and her operator take pilot safety.

To find out more about how Fathom Safety can manage your fleet’s pilot ladders and ancillary equipment and have a demonstration of our 5 star rated pilot ladder training and our Ladder Sentry® software either call or email and our team will be happy to help.