Dynamic Positioning

DP Mini Guide: ASOG — Green to Yellow

🕑 8 min read 1300 words Dp-academy

Crew Connect DP Academy · Mini Guide 09

ASOG — Green to Yellow

Topic: Operational Activity Planning · Sub-topic: ASOG/CAM/TAM  ·  Level: DPO / Senior DPO / Master  ·  Read time: 8 min

Training scenario only. In an actual operation, follow the approved vessel- and activity-specific procedures, ASOG/CAM/TAM, FMEA and emergency response arrangements; apply the Master’s authority and escalate through the applicable command structure. This guide is Crew Connect educational content — it does not override your vessel’s approved documents.

1. What / Why / How

Your Activity Specific Operating Guideline (ASOG) sets status triggers and required actions for the specific vessel and activity, and relates to CAM (Critical Activity Mode) and TAM (Task Appropriate Mode). It is not a generic industry document — content is activity- and vessel-specific by design.

2. Recognition / Risk / But

Watch for: an approaching or exceeded trigger threshold, degraded equipment, a PRS loss, an environmental trend, or a change in the task itself.

But: a Green → Yellow transition is not generic across vessels, and doesn't by itself prescribe a universal action — what it actually requires lives in your vessel's own ASOG document, not in general DP knowledge.

3. Now / What next / Decision / Why

Identify the exact approved ASOG row that applies, complete its stated checks/actions, notify the named stakeholders it specifies, and determine task status accordingly — recording the state and reasons as required.

4. Consequence / Reassess / Escalate

A Yellow-band control isn't completed before another trigger appears. Recognise the accumulated exposure this creates, rather than treating each trigger as an isolated, independently-resolved event.

5. Recover / Verify / Human factor

Return to a lower status only when the ASOG's actual exit conditions are met and evidence is recorded — not when conditions simply feel better. Trap: authority-gradient pressure when a client asks to "just finish this lift first."

Crew Connect takeaway

An ASOG trigger point exists to convert a vague, subjective sense that "things are getting worse" into a pre-agreed, objective threshold with defined required actions — removing the need to make that judgement call in real time, under pressure, which is exactly what makes it valuable.

▶ Enter the Decision Simulator — ASOG Green to Yellow Chain

Work the same situation through 8 linked decisions, with a real consequence at each step.

Sources: IMO MSC.1/Circ.1580 (operational checks), IMCA M220 Rev.3 (ASOG/CAM/TAM), IMCA IN 1618 (ASOG as decision-support tool). This guide is educational content, not a substitute for accredited DP training, vessel-specific FMEA/ASOG, or full-mission simulator assessment. Crew Connect never infers compliance with a specific vessel's applicable requirements — always verify against your own approved documents.

Could You Have Prevented It?

Test your judgement in Crew Connect's Decision Simulator — real incident patterns, real consequences, free to try.

Try the Decision Simulator Free →

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