The job of a mooring technician is to secure the ships on the quay with cords and ropes, by means of the bollards (high-strength fixed elements) on the quay. When the ship sails, the mooring technicians take action again, but this time for undocking.
At a certain distance before arriving at the port, the ship stops because the pilot has to board, who guides the docking manoeuvre. Once inside the port and after approaching the mooring pier, the ship must manoeuvre to position itself correctly in relation to the mooring pier for the mooring manoeuvre. Finally, the ropes and cords are thrown from the ship and picked up by the mooring technicians who tie them to the bollards, the iron pillars solidly nailed to the dock that allow the ropes to be fixed securely. This manoeuvre is coordinated between the ship's officer, the pilot and the mooring team.
Mooring companies must provide their services with maximum safety and minimum time in order to offer a fast and safe service. The intensity of arrival / departure of the ships also mark the rhythm of work. However, operations are often slow because ships, especially the larger ones, cannot manoeuvre quickly. Mooring is a team work, in which different team skills are combined according to experience (chief of operations, skipper of the mooring support boats, sailor, mooring on the ground, assistant mooring technician).

Regulated training and graduates

The profile corresponds to a specialized mooring qualification and can be obtained from different occupations within the maritime sector, especially those working in cargo and passenger loading and unloading terminals. However, the studies that more specifically focus on this occupation are:

• Certificat de Professionalitat de la Família Maritimopesquera: Amarratge de port i monoboies (Nivell 1)

Complementary training

Occupational safety
First-aid measures
Steering of ships

Other specific skills

Knowledge of English language

Not required beforehand. The person who starts working as a mooring technician must follow a period of training within the company.

Initiative: Level 1

Orientation within reach: Level 2

Concern for order and quality: Level 2

Team work and cooperation: Level 1

Flexibility and change management: Level 1

Mechanical handling

People related to the field of mechanical handling are interested in the assembly, maintenance, repair and use of machines, tools and installations. Some good examples of professional activities in the field of mechanical handling are adjusting and configuring machines, reviewing technical equipment to detect incidents in their operation, handling machinery in production processes and driving specialised vehicles.

Sailor

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Technician of group protection elements at construction sites

• Work hours

  The task of the mooring technician is very much conditioned by the rhythm of arrival of the ships and by the characteristics of the ships themselves that must be docked or undocked. Therefore, the working day schedule may be conditioned.

• Salary

  Depending on the professional category and years of service, the gross salary can vary between €20,000 - €26,000 gross per year.

• Professional category

  Non-specialist staff