Bollards aren’t ground tackle—what actually counts in a ship’s anchoring gear

Ground tackle and the ship that doesn’t drift away

If you’ve spent any time around ships, you’ve heard the phrase ground tackle tossed around during conversations about anchoring and mooring. It sounds a bit technical, but it’s really about the gear that keeps a vessel secure when it’s not moving. Think of it as the hardware version of a safety net: anchors, chains, lines, and the little tricks that make sure the ship stays put. But there’s a common point of confusion that’s worth clearing up: what exactly counts as ground tackle, and what doesn’t?

The big idea: ground tackle is gear that the ship deploys to hold itself in place

Ground tackle is the equipment used to secure a vessel to the seabed or to prevent it from drifting when at anchor. It’s everything the ship uses to anchor itself or to hold position with a rope or chain. On its face, that sounds straightforward, but the lines get a little blurred when you start thinking about the equipment you see on the dock.

Anchors and the chain that binds them to the ship are obvious core pieces

Anchors are the primary heroes of ground tackle. They’re designed to dig into the seabed and hold the vessel in place. Without an anchor, you’re at the mercy of wind, current, and tide. The anchor is usually connected to the ship by a chain or rope—often a sturdy anchor chain that helps transfer weight and resistance back to the seabed. The chain isn’t just a pretty chain; it’s a safety mechanism that cushions shock loads, resists snap-back, and gives you some leverage when the wind picks up.

The other half of this classic duo is the mooring line’s role, and this is where it gets interesting

Lines, or mooring lines, are flexible ropes used to secure a vessel to a dock or to another vessel. In the context of ground tackle, lines come into play in two broad ways. First, when a ship is anchored, a chain or rode is connected to the anchor and runs out to a secure point on the seabed. Second, and this is where the “broader context” comes in, lines are also used in mooring at a pier or alongside another ship. They’re part of the wider family of gear that keeps a vessel in place, even though they aren’t deployed from the bow to grab the seabed.

Lines are about staying put in calm water, and they’re about staying put when the weather turns rough

Mooring lines must be strong, flexible, and well maintained. They’re often made of synthetic fibers or natural fibers, sometimes with a steel core for strength. The right line length and diameter matter because you want to avoid excess strain or chafe, which can lead to a failure at the most inconvenient moment. In other words, lines aren’t just “softer” gear; they’re precision tools that translate the ship’s stability needs into practical restraint.

What about the big, fixed devices on shore? Bollards aren’t part of ground tackle in the same way

Here’s where a lot of people get tripped up. Bollards are the sturdy posts you’ll see on a quay or dock. They’re fixed to the deck or the shore, and they’re where you secure lines once the ship is alongside or moored. Bollards are essential for docking, but they’re not deployed from the vessel to hold it in place at sea or while anchored. In the strict sense of ship-ground tackle, bollards aren’t part of the equipment the ship uses to hold itself, even though they play a crucial role in the overall process of securing a vessel when it’s near land.

The practical distinction matters, even if it feels like a nerdy pedantry

On a busy night at port, crews juggle many tasks: dropping an anchor, letting out chain, taking in lines, and then sending a mooring line to a bollard on the dock. The moment the ship is flaked up against the quay and secured, the routine changes. You still rely on the ground tackle to hold position offshore, but the final touch—the last mile of securing the vessel to the dock—depends on bollards and dockside equipment. It’s a good reminder that seamanship is a continuum, not a single moment: the gear on the ship and the gear on the dock both matter, but they belong to different realms of operation.

A quick way to frame it in simple terms

• Ground tackle: the ship’s own gear used to anchor or secure itself. This includes anchors, anchor chains, and mooring lines as part of the anchoring or securing system.

• Dockside hardware (like bollards): fixed fixtures on land used to secure lines once the ship is alongside. They’re essential in practice, but they aren’t deployed from the ship itself to hold it in place at sea or while anchored.

Let me explain with a straight answer to a common question

Which of the following is NOT an example of ship’s ground tackle?

A. Anchors

B. Chains

C. Bollards

D. Lines

The answer is Bollards.

Here’s the thing: anchors, chains, and lines are the working elements the ship uses to hold itself in place, whether it’s sitting at anchor or making fast to a pier. Bollards, while vital to mooring operations, sit on the dock. They’re part of the external infrastructure that the ship interacts with when it comes alongside, but they aren’t equipment deployed from the vessel to perform the anchoring task. So in the strict sense of the ship’s own gear, bollards don’t belong to the ground tackle bucket.

A note on the “broader context” nuance

Some sources describe lines as part of ground tackle in a broader context, because lines do participate in anchoring setups and mooring arrangements. In practice, sailors will talk about “ground tackle and mooring gear” as a bundle, with lines sometimes considered part of that broader category. The key takeaway is to recognize the primary, operational distinction: what the ship uses to secure itself, versus what the shore uses to receive or hold the ship.

Stories from the deck that help anchor the idea

• Picture a small coastal tug tying up to a quay after a long shift. The crew drops anchor, pays out chain, and then uses lines to bring the tug in tight to the bollards on the pier. The bollards do their job beautifully, but the act of anchoring—the part that resists drift offshore—depends on the ground tackle at the bow. The bollards help finish the job by securing the vessel to the dock, not by holding it in the water.

• In a windy harbor, the chain’s weight and strength matter a lot. If the sea sneaks in a surge, the chain straightens and absorbs some of that shock, saving the anchor from rocketing loose. That’s the practical elegance of ground tackle in action—machines and ropes working together to keep the ship where the captain wants it.

• When you walk the decks of a vessel in port, you’ll hear terms like “let go the anchor” and “make fast to the bollards.” The first phrase belongs to the ship’s gear doing its job offshore; the second belongs to the shore-side equipment that completes the securing process once the ship is alongside. Both are essential, but they live in different neighborhoods of seamanship.

Bringing it home: practical takeaways for seafarers and PMK thinking

• Know your gear categories. If you’re asked to identify what counts as ground tackle, the quick rule is this: it’s gear the ship deploys to hold itself in place. If it’s fixed on land and used to secure the ship that’s alongside, it’s dockside hardware—essential, but not ground tackle.

• Pay attention to the context. A line can be part of the ground tackle in an anchored scenario, but a bollard will always be dockside when the vessel is alongside. Context matters in both learning and real-world situations.

• Safety is the throughline. The best crews aren’t just mechanically correct; they’re mindful of the loads involved, the weather, and the condition of lines and chains. Regular inspection, maintenance, and proper handling reduce the risk of slipped lines or broken anchors at critical moments.

• Language matters. When you talk with your crew or write up a ship’s log, precision matters. Ground tackle, mooring gear, anchor bits, and bollards—each term has a home. Using them correctly keeps everyone on the same page and helps avoid misunderstandings at sea.

A final reflection: why this distinction matters

Seamanship blends science, skill, and a touch of intuition. Understanding what belongs to the ship’s own kit (ground tackle) versus what belongs to the port’s infrastructure (bollards, dock fittings) isn’t just trivia. It’s about appreciating how a vessel sits in the balance of wind, tide, and human coordination. It’s about recognizing the limits of your gear, knowing when to rely on a sturdy chain, and understanding how the dock’s fixtures support the final securing phase.

If you’ve ever watched a ship glide gently up to a pier and listened to the crew call out “Let go the mooring lines,” you’ve seen the dance in motion. The anchor still rests in the seabed’s memory, the chain takes the weight, the lines reach out like lifelines, and the bollards proudly anchor the end of the line to the land. Each piece plays its part, and together they form the seamanship puzzle most sailors know by heart.

In short, ground tackle is the ship’s own toolkit for staying put when the world around it wants to move. Bollards are the dock’s toolkit for keeping the ship fastened once it’s near port. Recognize the difference, and you’ll read a chat on the deck with greater clarity and confidence.

If you’re curious, we can unpack more examples of how different vessel types rely on distinct ground tackle configurations—from small coastal craft to large merchant ships—and how crew training keeps this essential knowledge alive at sea. After all, the right gear in the right hands makes all the difference when the weather turns and the horizon demands precision.