What is effect of wind on berthing?

Wind has a significant effect on a ship. It causes heading changes and leeway. Failure to compensate correctly for wind during berthing is a significant cause of berthing accidents. The difficulty  in allowing for wind arises from the variable effect that wind can have on a ship because of changes in a ship’s heading. Wind has special significance in the handling of high-sided  vessels such as car carriers. The effect will vary with the relative wind direction and the speed of the ship. Although wind force and direction can be estimated  from information  obtained from a variety of sources, such as weather forecasts, VTS information,  the ship’s own wind instrumentation  and personal observation,  local conditions  can change rapidly and with little warning.  Control of a ship can be easily lost  during the passage of a squall. There is an obvious need to understand how wind will affect your ship, and how this effect can be difficult  to predict. For example, it might appear logical that the effect of wind on a tanker stopped in the water would cause the bow to swing towards the wind. However, experience shows that a tanker stopped in the water  will usually lie with the wind forward  of the beam rather than fine on the bow. It is especially difficult  to predict the effect of wind on a partially  loaded container ship and speed.

SUMAN KUMAR