Mooring Staff

The Port Firmly Under Control

Organized, always available and highly flexible in terms of time, our mooring staff ensures that every ship is safely in port. In most of our ports, the mooring is done by external companies, but in Brake and Emden this is the responsibility of NPorts. The work is similarly performed but differently organized, depending on the location. We provide an insight into this work here:

 

In Brake, mooring is one of the tasks of the eight Harbor Attendants. They are supported by a total of 36 colleagues from other departments who are on standby. These include electricians and locksmiths, for example, as well as employees from the Construction Yard or from Crane Operations. As soon as a ship announces its arrival, the Harbor Attendant drives to the designated position together with one or more (depending on the size of the ship) employees on call.


In Emden, on the other hand, there are 12 permanently employed mooring staff who are stationed at the "Große Seeschleuse" (Large Sea Lock) and the "Nesserlander Schleuse" (Nesserlander Lock). In addition to mooring, they occasionally take over so-called ProxiPen rounds (security checks) and minor maintenance work like mowing and maintaining the facilities. These are arranged by our Sluice Boatswain, who also assists with mooring if necessary. At the beginning of their shift, the mooring staff assembles in the common room and gets briefed by the Nautical Officer about the ships registered for arrival so far.


Part of the basic equipment of a mooring worker is the PPE, the Personal Protective Equipment. This includes a life jacket, reflective clothing, safety helmet, gloves and safety shoes. Speaking of safety: Because working directly at the quay’s edge also involves risks, our mooring staff takes part in instruction and safety training courses every year.

In Brake, there are also two "mooring cars", special vehicles with a winch installed on their flat bed. In rare circumstances, a mooring boat is needed, which is then ordered from an external company.

Once the PPE has been put on and the necessary equipment is available, it's time to moor. After a line has been cast between the ship and the moorings, the ship's lines are pulled to the pier and laid over the bollards. This is done by hand or with the help of a winch from the bow and stern of the ship. Depending on water level, weather conditions, number of lines and size of the ship, the whole process takes anywhere from one to three hours.

With a ship length of up to about 130 meters, two mooring workers are sufficient. For larger ships or ships with heavier lines, up to six mooring workers are on site. Because there are only three mooring workers on duty in Emden at the same time, the Boatswain, the Lockkeeper, the Port Inspector, the electricians, or the Nautical Officer on duty may also help out in such cases.

A basic requirement for every mooring worker is time flexibility. For the Harbor Attendant in Brake, this means that he or she may have to work overtime in addition to their shift work. The colleagues on call have to travel from home if necessary. In Emden, the mooring staff works in a 24/7 rotating shift from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Once the ship is securely fastened to the quay, the colleagues from the on-call service return to their workplace. The mooring personnel and the Harbor Attendants also devote themselves to their other duties until a new ship registers. Then they are ready again to fasten yet another ship safely to the port.