Comments from the report: A partial blackout of the centre high voltage (HV) switchboard at 11.04am caused by No. 2 generator. This caused the loss of the 440V distribution board […]
DP Event Bulletins
DP station keeping event bulletins enhance the traditional reporting and analysis of dynamic positioning station keeping events and incidents. They ensure that the industry is provided with prompt feedback, including anonymous factual case studies of events reported to IMCA.
Individual DP events are available individually online, tagged and searchable, while the traditional PDF collections are also available for download.
To be included into the subscription list for the DP Event Bulletin emails, email communications@legacy.imca-int.com
Submit a Report
All members are encouraged to contribute relevant DP information by using our reporting template which is available under Submit a Report where you will also see details on how to submit your information.
IMCA Contact
Richard Purser
Technical Adviser - Marine
Contact
DP Events
Planned investigation resulted in DP incident
Comments from the report: An AVR problem in diesel generator No. 1 engine caused an over voltage in the system. Due to increased voltage, the standby machine could not be […]
Specialised pipe laying DP mode – DP undesired event
Comments from the report: When the vessel was confirmed stopped and on the setpoint, the operator checked the auto track setting to find the cause of the track change. Upon […]
Loss of tunnel thruster – DP undesired event
Comments from the report: During diving operations in open water, tunnel thruster No. 1 tripped offline. Investigation showed that the cause was due to tripping of the thruster hydraulic pump […]
Position reference systems – a timely reminder
The IMCA Marine DP committee has identified a trend of DP station keeping events relating to the incorrect use or selection of PRSs. Events reported to IMCA include incidents, where […]
Use of third-party equipment leads to DP undesired event
Comments from the Report The UPS and the DGNSS source does not fall under the vessel’s planned maintenance system (PMS), as this is owned by the survey company. The equipment […]
Inadequate shallow water lay-up reactivation procedures
Comments from the Report The heat exchange system is poorly designed and without redundancy for half of the switchboard. Design flaws were compounded by the introduction of turbidity and silt […]
Isolation of backup supplies to DP critical equipment
Case Narrative A DP 2 vessel was engaged in open water ROV operations with both ROVs and cranes in the water – the hook recovery was ongoing. The vessel was […]
Case study – Load sharing imbalance caused loss of position
Case narrative A DP2 pipelay vessel was set up on auto DP engaged in pipelay operations, inside the 500m zone of a fixed platform. The DP design concept of the […]
Case study – DPO certification deception
Case narrative A new senior DPO had been appointed to a DP equipment class 2 vessel via a crewing agent. It was found after joining that his experience and certification […]
Case study – Switching from auto DP to IJS (independent joy stick) mode caused loss of control
Case narrative A vessel collided with the working platform on a wind turbine transition piece. The incident occurred during worsening weather conditions. The vessel was on auto DP, when it […]
Case study – Switching to manual mode caused loss of position
Case narrative A DP2 platform supply vessel was set up on auto DP engaged in cargo operations inside the 500m zone of a fixed platform. The DP design concept of […]
Leak in fuel supply line causes engine to shut down – DP undesired event
Comments from the report: The vessel was employed within the renewable energy sector, no details were given of the drilling activities. A fuel leak developed in a corroded supply pipe […]
Good practice following system self-test alarm – DP observation
Comments from the report: The error was traced to a serial interface module for DP Controller A and confirmed that the red error lamp on this module was illuminated. Whilst […]
Routine maintenance leads to loss of thruster – DP undesired event
Comments from the report: During a routine weekly maintenance operation, a ships engineer took an oil sample from the starboard azimuth thruster sample point, which is a small valve located […]
DP controller problems – DP undesired event
Considerations of the IMCA Marine DP Committee from the above event: Redundancy was lost; therefore, a yellow alert should be initiated. Good practice is to acknowledge and investigate the cause […]
Electrical fault causes loss of thruster – DP undesired event
Comments from the report: One of the three frequency converters on the port azimuth thruster was found to be burnt out. Initial actions: The thruster was isolated and faulty converter […]
A retrofitted capacitor caused a bow thruster frequency drive to overheat – DP observation
Comments from the report: A wrongly installed extra capacitor at the bow thruster frequency drive caused overheating of this equipment. The extra capacitor was installed by the electrical designer and […]
An unassociated failure of one part of a gyro system affected the DP system – DP undesired event
Comments from the report: A new gyro was installed as a replacement but failed to start with first attempt. Further investigation revealed that the ‘Gyro 2 remote control unit’ located […]
Lack of maintenance caused a problem involving the bus tie breaker – DP undesired event
Comments from the report: The power management system was set for semi-automatic mode as required for DP2 operations. Uncontrolled and unsynchronised closure of the bus tie breaker resulted in simultaneous […]
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