In this particular case, and judging from what the pattern itself looks like, it was rather chain, not wire.
This is Rotterdam, wihout active machinery, towed significant distance to another repair yard converting it into floating hotel.
It is quite common practice that a towing line (wire rope) is attached not directly to the ship, but through intermediary chain (usually in configuration, where two chains run from both sides of the bow of the ship and they meet where the wire rope starts or there is a short piece of chain running from the point, where these two pieces meet, and then the end of this short piece of chain is attached to wire rope).