- Terminals require the provision of so-called ‘fire-wires or ‘towing-off’ wires. These are mooring wires hung over the off-berth side of the ship. They enable tugs to pull the ship away from the pier without the assistance of any on board crew member in case of a serious fire or explosion. Refer also to referance 6 (isgott, 4th edition, 1996) chapter 3.7.2.
- A common method is to provide two wires, one near the bow and one near the stern. They are secured to bollards with a minimum of five turns and are oed directly to a ships chock with no slack on deck
- The outoard end of the line is provided with an eye to which a heaving line is attached and led back to the deck.
- During loading and discharge, the heaving line is periodically adjusted to maintain the eye of the fire wire one to two metres above the water. Some terminals require different methods and operators should be aware of local regulations.
- When not in use, the fire wires are preferably spooled onto reels which may be located on or below deck.
- Fire wires should be of 6*36 iwrc construction and be made of the same type of steel as recommended for standard mooring wires the use of synthetic or natural fiber ropes is not permitted as these would burn in the event of a fire.
- The following table gives guidance on minimum diametres and lengths for various ship sizes, however, lengths may vary dependant on positioning of mooring bitts and vessels freeboard.
| K-DWT | DIAMETRE | LENGTH(MS) |
| 20-100 | 28 | 45 |
| 100-300 | 38 | 60 |
| OVER 300 | 42 | 70 |
