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Marine notice No 6 of 2003 The use of poorly maintained cordage It has come to my attention that a number of vessels/boats are using poorly maintained mooring lines. Recently, a cruiser was found suspended from one of its mooring lines, in a lock, with water still emptying from the chamber. The problem was caused by the fact that the rope in question was full of knots, some of which had snagged in a rope burn on top of the Lock wall. The Shannon Navigation (Construction of Vessels) Bye-Laws (1992) number 7 (1) states "A vessel shall be equipped with bow and stern mooring lines appropriate to its tonnage and length and of sufficient length and tensile strength to moor it safely. The minimum length of such lines shall be 12 metres and their minimum diameter shall be 12 millimetres if they are made of nylon and 16 millimetres if they are made of polypropylene. A vessel shall carry at least one efficient anchor and chain (or cable or hawser) appropriate to the tonnage of the vessel. Anchors with their chains, cables or hawsers shall be stowed in such positions and shall have such other equipment as to enable them to be dropped or weighed quickly." As we are now coming into the high season, and in the interest of safety, I ask all owners and skippers to ensure that all mooring lines meet with the requirements contained in the Bye-Laws. Captain John C Gillespie, Inspector of Navigation, Waterways Ireland