Dynamic positioning

Common card · No. 460207

Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system which automatically maintains a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position references sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors, and gyrocompasses, provides the computer with information about the vessel's position and the magnitude and direction of the environmental forces affecting it. Examples of vessel types that employ DP include ships and semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling units (MODU), oceanographic research vessels, cable layer ships, and cruise ships. The computer program contains a mathematical model of the vessel, including information such as its current drag and thrusters' locations. This knowledge, combined with sensor data (e.g. wind), allows the computer to calculate the required steering angle and the output for each thruster to support operations at sea where mooring or anchoring is not feasible due to deep water, seabed congestion (pipelines, templates), or...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Public domain