DP Mini Guide: Redundancy — Worst Case Failure

Crew Connect DP Academy · Mini Guide 08

Redundancy — Worst Case Failure

Topic: Redundancy & Assurance · Sub-topic: WCF / WCFDI  ·  Level: Senior DPO / Master  ·  Read time: 9 min

1. What / Why / How

Redundancy, independence, separation and common mode are the building blocks of a DP vessel's FMEA. Worst Case Failure Design Intent (WCFDI) is a specific, documented, vessel-specific concept — the FMEA describes designed behaviour, but your actual current operational configuration still has to be checked against it.

2. Recognition / Risk / But

Watch for: a degraded redundancy group, a bypassed protection, unavailable equipment, a changed bus configuration, or an untested modification.

But: WCFDI is not "the biggest failure someone can imagine," nor does exceeding it automatically get waved through — it's a defined, vessel-specific boundary, not a loose guideline.

3. Now / What next / Decision / Why

Retrieve the current, correct FMEA/consequence information for this vessel, establish your actual configuration and post-failure capability, apply your activity's controls, and conduct the appropriate risk/escalation process before proceeding.