Merchant ship anchor Stockless

for shipsfor mud bottomfor sand bottom

The stockless anchor (shown as Stockles Anchor on the page) is a ship anchor designed to provide holding force by embedding in seabed sediments and working together with anchor chain weight and chain drag to keep a vessel stationary.

Introduction
The anchor functions as the vessel's brake: when the ship stops it must be anchored to avoid being driven by wind or current. The anchor generates holding force by embedding in bottom sediment while part of the chain drags on the seabed; combined with chain weight this maintains the vessel's position.

Stockless anchor - overview

• Design: stockless anchor with rotatable flukes (anchor claws) and no stock, allowing compact stowage and simplified handling.
• Usage: commonly used as bow anchors on merchant vessels because they can be stowed at the hawsepipe or side chain hole without occupying deck space.
• Operation: two flukes can engage the seabed together, reducing the risk of a single fluke being exposed and improving embedment.

The general characteristics

• Easy to deploy and recover due to absence of a stock; can be secured directly at the side chain hole after retrieval.
• Both flukes grasp the seabed together, reducing incomplete embedment.
• Typical holding (grip) ratios: around 3 on soft mud; on sandy bottoms 5–7 (maximum generally <8). Holding force is usually lower than some shank-type anchors but can be compensated by increasing anchor weight or using high-holding-power designs.

Applications and improvements
The stockless anchor is widely used as a merchant ship bow anchor. Modern high-holding-power stockless anchors have structural improvements to significantly increase holding capability.

Technical specifications

• Product type: stockless anchor (stockless / 'Stockles' design)
• Fluke arrangement: two flukes able to rotate relative to the shank
• Stock (crossbar): none
• Primary function: embed in seabed sediment to provide holding force together with chain drag and weight
• Typical holding ratio: ~3 (soft mud), ~5–7 (sandy bottoms), max generally <8
• Typical application: bow anchor for merchant vessels; favored for handling and stowage
• References: product images, data sheets and certificates available on the product page